The Philippines is a multifaceted country with rich biodiversity across its islands. The country's extensive history is shaped by its vast Indigenous cultures, colonial history, and struggle for independence. With a little more than a century of independence and a multitude of power relations both within and outside the country, the Filipino identity is still reclaiming itself from the postcolonial trauma and unlearning the preconceived notions of what it means to be a Filipino. In tourism, people, culture, and places become products of consumption for travelers. Due to colonial mentality, Filipinos create and promote tourist destinations with foreign validation and Western models in mind. This paper examined how colonial legacies shaped the practices, perceptions, and representations of the Filipino people, exploring the relationship between colonial mentality and nationalism through the lens of tourism. It draws insights from studies, postcolonial theory, and decolonial critiques to analyze the complex manifestations of colonial mentality in Philippine tourism. This study utilized a mixed-method approach, including a review of documents, reports, and media articles; interviews with tourism officials and industry representatives; and surveys from tourists. Results suggested a considerable positive correlation (0.38 Pearson’s r and 0.30 Spearman’s rho) between national identity and tourism, with one influencing the other. The findings of this study are beneficial to the formulation of Tourism Development Plans that would further generate a national identity that truly encapsulates the Philippines.