Last updated on June 19th, 2024 at 07:11 pm
Who is Most Likely to Give 5-Star Reviews in the Philippines?
Customer reviews are a very powerful tool. Positive reviews from happy customers can help build credibility and encourage others to visit, just as negative reviews can warn people off. There’s no denying that bad reviews can be very off-putting, especially from the ‘common complainers’ that popular culture likes to call “Karens”.
It’s a term that is widely used around the world for those who regularly make unreasonable demands and complain about minor things. However, this has led to many theories that negative behavior is linked to people’s names, with many polls naming and shaming those who share the same name. Is there really a connection between our names and the likelihood of us leaving bad reviews? We decided to put an end to these claims once and for all.
We investigated over 10,000 reviews across hundreds of attractions, hotels, and restaurants in the Philippines, including all historical reviews*, to determine which names are most likely to leave five-star reviews on Tripadvisor. And this is what we discovered…
*All data is correct as of September 2022
What’s in this article?
- Top 10 names most likely to leave 5-star reviews in the Philippines
- Men vs women: who is more likely to give 5-star reviews in the Philippines?
- How to leave useful 5-star reviews on Tripadvisor
- Top 5 best-rated attractions in the Philippines
- How to keep your money safe while abroad
- Methodology
Top 10 names most likely to leave 5-star reviews in the Philippines
Michael tops the list of over 10,000 names as the most common name likely to leave a five-star review on Tripadvisor.
| Rank | Tourist Names |
| 1 | Michael |
| 2 | Mark |
| 3 | John |
| 4 | Maria |
| 5 | Paul |
| 6 | David |
| 7 | Peter |
| 8 | Andrew |
| 9 | Robert |
| 10 | Mike |
Michael is the ‘anti-Karen’ of the Philippines
We have declared ‘Michaels’ as the ‘anti-Karen’ of the Philippines, as they top the leaderboard of those most likely to give five-star reviews. People with the name Michael have displayed the opposite behavior to what popular culture has labeled the ‘Karen’. They have been very kind and generous with their time by leaving thoughtful reviews.
Mark follows in second place and John follows closely behind in third.
What position does Karen rank?
Despite what popular culture might suggest, the name Karen performs rather well and makes it into the top 30 list of names most likely to give a five-star review on Tripadvisor. ‘Karens’ around the globe can breathe a sigh of relief! The Filipino origin of the name Karen means “pure” and people who share the name are often thought to be calm, stable and dependable – the opposite of what popular culture would have us believe. On par with Karen is Tony, Simon, Sarah, Justin, and Joe.
| Rank | Tourist Names |
| 1 | Michael |
| 2 | Mark |
| 3 | John |
| 4 | Maria |
| 5 | Paul |
| 6 | David |
| 7 | Peter |
| 8 | Andrew |
| 9 | Robert |
| 10 | Mike |
| 11 | Jean |
| 12 | James |
| 13 | Chris |
| 14 | Michelle |
| 15 | Tim |
| 16 | Thomas |
| 17 | Rachel |
| 18 | Mary |
| 19 | Jeff |
| 20 | Jason |
| 21 | Ian |
| 22 | Anthony |
| 23 | Anna |
| 24 | Andy |
| 25 | Tony |
| 26 | Simon |
| 27 | Sarah |
| 28 | Karen |
| 29 | Justin |
| 30 | Joe |
Does the meaning behind your name impact your personality?
For many years, researchers have debated whether the name we are given at birth impacts the personality traits we develop as we get older. While there is some research that suggests the correlation between names and personality exists, our personalities are largely shaped by our genetics and our life experiences. So, do our names really affect our character traits?
Names originate from various places, typically religious texts, and have several meanings behind them. In fact, names are thought to be powerful indicators of the personality traits and characteristics we are likely to develop as we age. Our names can often change how people perceive us, depending on whether it’s unusual or nontraditional, for example.
Trendy names, like Alexander, are generally perceived more positively than unfashionable names, such as Kevin. This can impact how people with trendy names appear to their family and friends, as they appear to be more positive and outgoing. But this has no bearing on whether our names actually affect our personality, instead it only influences how we are perceived by others.
Whether your name is fashionable for its era or is as unique as you are, your name is only a small element of your personality. Just remember to give positive reviews after visiting attractions, hotels, and restaurants if you want to make a lasting impression.
Men vs women: who is more likely to give 5-star reviews in the Philippines?
We decided to explore the split between male names and female names who leave five-star reviews in the Philippines. Although many names are gender-neutral, for the purposes of this data story we have based our analysis on the most common use of the listed names.
Men are 2x more likely to give five-star reviews in the Philippines
To determine whether men or women are more likely to leave positive feedback, we analyzed the top 100 names who left five-star reviews on Tripadvisor in the Philippines. The results show that 68 reviews were given by people with male names and 32 reviews by those with female names, which means that men are 2x more likely to leave five-star reviews than women.
Although this split is not as pronounced as it is in other countries, such as India, there is still a significant gender imbalance in the positivity of attractions, hotels, and restaurant reviews in the Philippines. However, it may be the case that people with male names are more likely to leave reviews in general, compared to those bearing female names.
What are the top 10 male and female reviewer names in the Philippines?
We looked at the top 10 male and female names to identify who is most likely to leave five-star reviews in the Philippines. Michael and Maria make it to first place, followed by Mark and Jean in second place, and John and Michelle in third place.
The Filipino origin of the name Maria means “sea of bitterness”. This is a perfect example of why names should not be attached to stereotypical character traits, as ‘Marias’ are clearly incredibly generous with their feedback and give very thoughtful reviews.
Samantha ranks in 10th place for female names most likely to give five-star reviews.
| Rank | Female Names | Male Names |
| 1 | Maria | Michael |
| 2 | Jean | Mark |
| 3 | Michelle | John |
| 4 | Rachel | Paul |
| 5 | Mary | David |
| 6 | Anna | Peter |
| 7 | Sarah | Andrew |
| 8 | Karen | Robert |
| 9 | Jennifer | Mike |
| 10 | Samantha | James |
Is your name missing from the list? Don’t forget to head over to Tripadvisor and share your experience every time you have a brilliant time at an attraction, hotel, or restaurant. Check back next year to see if you make it to the list.
How to leave useful reviews on Tripadvisor
You may be thinking: do Tripadvisor reviews really matter? In short, yes they do. It’s no secret that customers will trust reviews more than a business’s ads. Reviews can influence whether or not customers decide to use a product or service, and if a business has lots of negative ones, it can quickly outweigh the positive.
But what should you consider when writing a review? The best reviews typically answer any questions that potential customers may have about the business. Detailed reviews that contain accurate information are often the most useful to the business and future customers. If you’re going to take the time to write a good review, it’s important to be honest about your experience so that others can benefit from this information, especially if your experience wasn’t a positive one.
7 things to consider when leaving a good quality review
Here are our top tips for how you can leave a great Tripadvisor review that will be useful to both the business and future customers.
1. Avoid making your review too short
It doesn’t matter whether you had a great experience or you loathed every second of it – people want to hear about it. Hearing about your experience is valuable to the business and fellow customers, so it’s important to provide as much feedback as possible.
Describe how your experience was and make sure you provide a detailed review, especially as lengthier reviews are far more useful than those with just a few words. You could even highlight the specific things that the business could improve in the future.
The more time you spend on your review, the more valuable it could be to someone else!
2. Always be honest about your experience
As the saying goes, “honesty is the best policy”, and this is true with reviews. Good quality reviews require honesty in order to be useful to both the business and other customers. Even if you had a negative experience, try to be as transparent as possible about the things that went wrong. This will help the business to improve and will prevent customers from having to go through the same experience.
3. Provide an accurate timescale
When you give a review, it’s essential that others are able to see when your experience was. Whether it was a few days or a few years ago, it’s important to make sure that this is made clear in your review. If your experience with the business was a few years ago, they may have made considerable changes since then.
Some businesses, especially restaurants, are often busier at different times of the day, which could have influenced your own experience. But, this may not reflect the business as a whole! Remember that your reviews can have a huge impact on other customers, so you should try to be fair and as accurate as possible.
4. Give as much information as possible
Some of the best Tripadvisor reviews provide information about the price, the service, and the quality, as well as the business’s overall performance. Try to give specific examples about your experience to enable businesses to benefit from your feedback and improve on certain aspects in the future. It doesn’t matter whether your experience was positive or negative, the more information you can provide – the better! It can help other customers decide whether the company or service is right for them.
5. Help others by giving actionable advice
If you want to make your review really helpful, then try including actionable advice wherever possible. The advice can be for either the business or other customers, depending on the feedback you’re giving. Here are some examples of advice you can give customers and businesses:
- Customer – There weren’t a lot of places to sit at the castle, so I’d recommend taking a picnic blanket or a camping chair if you want to be comfortable.
- Business – It would be really helpful if you provided more information about wheelchair accessibility on your website, as I found it difficult to get around when I arrived.
6. Don’t name and shame
When leaving a review on Tripadvisor, it’s just as important that you don’t over step the mark as it is to include lots of details. Always avoid naming and shaming individual staff members at the business, as this can prevent your review from being made public. If you want to make the business aware of a situation that occurred with a member of staff, then try to generalize wherever possible.
7. Never write inflammatory comments
Abusive behavior online is never acceptable, and it’s not productive either. Your review will not be displayed publicly if any inflammatory comments have been made. Try to stay polite when leaving reviews on Tripadvisor and remember that the person reading this is a human being. We all know that businesses can get things wrong sometimes, and so can customers! Take some time to cool off before you write your review and think about what advice you can give the business on how to improve.
Top 5 best-rated attractions in the Philippines
We’ve compiled a list of the top five best-rated attractions in the Philippines based on those with the most five-star ratings on Tripadvisor.
1. Fort Santiago
Located in the walled city of Intramuros in Manila, Fort Santiago is the oldest Spanish bastion in the Philippines. In 1571, the Spaniards landed in the Philippines and destroyed the Muslim kingdom and built a fortress in its place. Fort Santiago was named after Spain’s patron saint, Saint James, which is Santiago in Spanish. The fort was originally made of logs and soil and was used as their defense fortress. It has been torn down and reconstructed many times throughout history – there was even an earthquake in 1645 that damaged most of the fort.
During the Second World War in 1942, the Japanese conquered the Philippines and used Fort Santiago as a military base and prison. Fort Santiago was declared a Shrine of Freedom in 1950 after the US military returned it to the Philippine Government in 1946. It has since been restored and transferred to the Intramuros Administration.
Considered to be one of the best attractions in Intramuros, the Fort Santiago offers a chilling experience of what it was like for those during WWII. It’s a historical tourist spot that you won’t want to miss!
Price rating: $-$$
2. Mount Pulag National Park
Situated on the north and south spine of the Grand Cordillera Central, Mt. Pulag National Park is the highest peak in Luzon and the second-highest mountain in the Philippines. With an elevation of 2,922 m above sea level, the park stretches from Pasaleng, Ilocos Norte to the Cordillera Provinces. You can expect very steep slopes at the mountainsides, and at the summit of Mt. Pulag, the ground is covered with grass and dwarf bamboo plants.
The National Park is full of flora and fauna, most of which is native to the mountain. You will also find a variety of wildlife, including threatened animals such as the Luzon Pygmy Fruit Bat and the Philippine Brown Deer. And, if you look carefully enough, you might even come across several species of orchid that can only be found on Mt. Pulag.
Often referred to as “the playground of the gods” by the locals, the mountain offers unforgettable views from every angle. Find yourself in the midst of the clouds on this once in a lifetime experience!
Price rating: $
3. Nacpan Beach
Imagine a beach with cream-colored sand and crystal clear blue water. Nacpan Beach offers exactly that! The 4 km strip is located 17 km north of El Nido town in Palawan. Its beauty remained hidden until it was discovered by tourists, and it soon became one of the most popular tourist destinations in El Nido. Despite its popularity with tourists, Nacpan Beach generally remains very peaceful and is ideal for those who want to relax.
If you’re looking for things to do, visitors can go swimming, surfing, kayaking and paddleboarding. There’s also snorkels available for hire for those who want to explore what the clear blue waters have to offer. And if you find yourself getting hungry, there are a selection of restaurants along the coast to suit most budgets.
Price rating: $-$$$
4. White Beach
One of the top tourist spots in the Philippines, White Beach is Boracay Island’s main attraction. This tropical island is a paradise for those looking to enjoy long walks on white sandy beaches and swim in pristine turquoise waters. The White Beach offers magical sunsets and is the perfect place to make unforgettable memories time and time again.
Although the beach is a popular tourist destination, it never loses its charm and offers stunning weather most of the year. It’s one of the most stunning beaches in the Philippines – you won’t want to miss it!
Price rating: $$-$$$
5. Philippine Eagle Center
Home to 36 Philippine Eagles, as well as 10 other species of birds, 4 species of mammals and 2 species of reptiles, the Philippine Eagle Center provides a glimpse into the country’s ecosystem. The center is primarily used to teach the Filipino people about conservation, but is also a popular tourist attraction in Davao City. Located at the foothills of Mt. Apo in Malagos, the Philippine Eagle Center operates as a dedicated breeding facility for critically endangered birds of prey.
If you’re an animal lover and like seeing animals up close, then this is the place for you. Experience Philippine eagles in their natural habitat and learn how successful breeding programs are conserving these spectacular birds.
Price rating: $-$$
How to keep your money safe while abroad
Planning a trip abroad can be a very exciting time, but what about when it comes to managing your money? It’s important to make sure you’re prepared and set a budget before you travel. Think about how much money you’ll need for the essentials, such as groceries and hygiene products, or even a coffee. You should plan to spend around ₱2,946 ($50) per day in the Philippines, but don’t forget to budget more for activities and shopping trips.
It can be daunting organizing your finances when you’re about to go abroad, especially if you’re exchanging large amounts of money into cash. At Remitly, we are leading providers of digital financial services with a wealth of knowledge on sending money to the Philippines.
Let’s find out how you can look after your money abroad.
1. Understand the local currency
When you travel somewhere with a currency that you’re unfamiliar with, it can be very unnerving when handing over cash. It’s easy to overpay, or even underpay, for something if you’re not comfortable with the exchange rate. Research the country’s current exchange rate, so you know exactly how much cash to withdraw within your daily budget. Try using an exchange rate app to help you avoid getting ripped off.
2. Take some foreign cash with you
You’ll most likely need to use cash at some point between getting off the plane and arriving at your hotel. Having cash in the right currency will not only save you time looking for an ATM, but will save you from incurring any unexpected charges with your bank. Order the currency you need from your local bank a few days before your trip, so you have cash to take with you.
3. Create a budget for your trip
Setting a budget is one of the most important parts of planning your trip. Making a budget plan allows you to see exactly where your money is going and will help you avoid overspending. Think about how long your trip is and how much money you will need for everyday essentials. Don’t forget to budget for those little luxuries too!
4. Hide your valuables in different places
You should always avoid keeping your cash, credit cards, travel documents and other valuables in the same place. If anything gets stolen, you lose everything. Try hiding them in different places wherever possible – just remember to check the room before you leave, just in case you’ve forgotten something. Try keeping your cash in a money pouch and hide it in your suitcase, or use the safe provided (if it’s secure!).
5. Use credit cards for purchases abroad
It’s always best to keep some cash on you while traveling, but you should try to use a credit card for most of your purchases. Not only does it make international purchases easier, but it also gets you the lowest possible exchange fees. In the unfortunate event that you fall victim to a pickpocket, you won’t lose any money. All you need to do is report it to your card issuer straight away, and they can freeze your card to stop any payments going through.
6. Only carry 3 to 5 days’ worth of cash
You should try to travel with some cash, especially when you arrive in the country. But how much cash is too much? Depending on how long you’re staying, try to avoid carrying more than 3 to 5 days’ worth of cash. This will help prevent you from misplacing money or losing it to pickpockets. And if you do happen to lose some cash, it won’t be a huge amount.
Methodology
Remitly collated Tripadvisor data to create a list of the ‘names most likely to give a five-star review’ in the Philippines. All data was gathered using the ‘top 10’ pages for attractions, hotels, and restaurants in the Philippines on Tripadvisor. The data includes all historical reviews and is up-to-date and correct as of September 2022.
To identify the reviewers, over 10,000 names were crawled across nearly 15,000 reviews. The data was analyzed to establish the 10 names that appeared most frequently – these were named the most likely to leave a five-star review based on their positive feedback.
This data was further segmented into a ‘most likely’ list for men and women to demonstrate the likelihood of male names leaving five-star reviews compared to female names.
Remitly makes international money transfers faster, easier, more transparent, and more affordable. Since 2011, over 5 million people have used our secure mobile app to send money with peace of mind.
Download our app to get started.
Image sources:
- Fort Santiago – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_santiago_3,itramuros.jpg
- Mount Pulag National Park – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mt._Pulag_National_Park.jpg
- Nacpan Beach – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Nido_-_Nacpan_Beach.jpg OR https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nacpan_Beach.jpg
- White Beach – https://www.flickr.com/photos/travelourplanet/36270261494
- Philippine Eagle Center – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philippine_Eagle_at_the_Philippine_Eagle_Center_002.jpg