Has Puerto Princesa lost its charm?

I remember moving here 11 years ago, back when I didn't consider myself as a local. I remember the moment when I stepped out of the airport and saw the lights hanging from the beautiful Acacia Trees and the small local bars & restos full of tourists, drinking and having the best time. I remember thinking "WOW. I ALREADY LOVE THIS PLACE." -- and that's just a few minutes from when i left the airport! It was so lively! It was a crowd of locals mixed with tourists.

But seasons went by and I can't help but noticed that the demographics changed, the usual foot traffic of tourists became lesser, the local events are not as fun and well thought of like it used to be. I remember you can drink and party at a beach club in BM road and there were festivals along BM beach as well. Bars closed and now we are left with tasteless "clubs". The dreamers and the doers just stopped trying.

I feel like the lifestyle and leisure has regressed in Puerto Princesa. I can't seem to point out why. There were a lot of cool concepts and they never survived.

Thank god there are still good restaurants and coffee shops!

I now understand why they say a city's nightlife could really help shape its identity. And by nightlife, I don't just mean "drinking" or "partying" but more of like activities you could do at night, like night markets or music events. Imagine BM Beach's shoreline full of restaurants, souvenir shops, cafes and bars, but instead, we get karaoke for rent. Such a waste of beautiful space where you can watch the sunrise and also very beautiful during full moon. I even remember seeing kite-boarders there one time!

Just look at the vlogs--- they're calling us a "stopover".

The beaches in Puerto Princesa is great! But even these beaches are not being marketed/introduced to tourists.

What happened? Have we regressed?