Travel and Tourism
DOT to further promote MICE to attract more Japanese visitors
February 9, 2023, 4:41 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is keen on further developing the exhibition and conference industry to increase the number of Japanese visitors to the Philippines. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, who is in Japan with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., said Japan is an… Read More
Gateways most essential parts of tourism recovery from pandemic
February 4, 2023, 7:47 pm
MANILA – The Philippines has expressed its “full support” behind the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to improve accessibility among its member states. Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, who represented the Philippines at the 26th ASEAN Tourism… Read More
Mactan int'l airport’s new fuel system to boost Cebu air traffic
February 4, 2023, 11:34 am
CEBU CITY – The installation of a fuel hydrant system (FHS) at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) will speed up aircraft turnaround and increase air traffic in Cebu, an official said on Saturday. The new system for delivering fuel to the aircraft will help position the province as the… Read More
Filipinos among most ‘favored tourists’ in Taiwan
February 4, 2023, 8:30 am
MANILA – Filipinos are among the most favored visitors in Taiwan because they are not frugal spenders when traveling, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila said Friday. TECO Representative Peiyung Hsu made the statement as he invited more Filipinos to visit Taiwan and take… Read More
Taiwan to evaluate visa-free extension for PH
February 3, 2023, 4:54 pm
MANILA –Taiwan is set to reevaluate its visa-free entry privilege for Philippine passport holders as the program expires on July 31, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila said Friday. The visa-exempt entry scheme for Filipinos resumed on Sept. 29, 2022 and will be in place… Read More
PTAA opens 3-day travel expo
February 3, 2023, 4:18 pm
MANILA – The three-day Travel Tour Expo (TTE) formally opened on Friday, with hopes to attract more locals and foreigners to tour around the country with affordable travel deals and packages. The expo, organized by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), targets at least 80,000… Read More
Legazpi tourist arrivals up almost 200% in 2022
February 1, 2023, 6:18 pm
LEGAZPI CITY – After more than two years of lockdowns and implementation of health and safety protocols by the government against Covid-19 that heavily affected the business and tourism sectors, arrivals of both foreign and domestic visitors in this city increased by almost two hundred percent… Read More
DOT affirms support to PH Dev’t Plan 2023-2028
January 31, 2023, 7:38 pm
MANILA – Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco affirmed the Department of Tourism's (DOT) commitment to take an active role in realizing the socioeconomic policies, strategies, and programs enclosed in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 of the Marcos administration. "While the tourism… Read More
Chinese tourists to fuel global econ recovery, cultural exchange
January 26, 2023, 6:04 pm Updated on January 26, 2023, 6:14 pm
BEIJING – "We cannot wait to have the Chinese back in our restaurants. We missed it so much," said Alix Pickard, a senior manager of a British restaurant corporation. China relaxed its outbound travel restrictions amid its recent overall Covid-19 response shift. Officials and tourism… Read More
Cebu City to hold foreign cultural festivals to boost tourism
January 25, 2023, 12:59 pm
CEBU CITY – The Cebu City government will hold cultural festivals celebrated in different countries to boost tourism in line with the full reopening of the economy amid Covid-19, an official said on Wednesday. Lawyer Jocelyn Pesquera, Cebu City Tourism Commission chief, said this year's planned… Read More
Travel deals, marked-down airfares up for grabs at PTAA expo
January 25, 2023, 8:31 am
MANILA – As much as 70 percent discount on airfares and travel packages are expected at the 2023 Travel Tour Expo (TTE) happening at the SMX Convention Center Manila on Feb. 3. In a press launch Tuesday, the event organizer Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) said the staging of TTE… Read More
Rosy prospects for tourism as Chinese travelers return to PH
January 24, 2023, 9:58 pm
MANILA – The Philippines on Tuesday welcomed a planeload of Chinese travelers after China finally eases its restriction for outbound travel. About 190 visitors from Xiamen arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 via Xiamen Airlines flight MF819. With China contributing to… Read More
'Revenge tourism' providing huge boost to PH economy: BSP
January 23, 2023, 7:11 pm
BAGUIO CITY – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is optimistic about continuous economic recovery with the current upward trend in "revenge tourism." "Masaya ako ngayon with revenge tourism. People want to travel, gumagastos ang mga tao, namimili sa… Read More
Int’l tourism makes 63% of pre-virus level in 2022
January 19, 2023, 7:29 pm
ANKARA – International tourism made 63 percent of its pre-virus level in 2022 despite doubling from a year ago, according to the UN tourism agency. A total of 917 million tourists traveled internationally last year, up 101.6 percent from the previous year, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)… Read More
PH's biggest passenger port terminal nears completion
January 17, 2023, 7:43 pm
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – The country's biggest passenger terminal building (PTB) of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Barangay San Antonio here is now 98 percent complete and will start operating next month, an official of the Philippine Ports Authority-Port Management Office… Read More
Cebu airport welcomes maiden flight from Taiwan
January 17, 2023, 7:33 pm
CEBU CITY – The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on Tuesday officially welcomed the inaugural flight from Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. Executives from the GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), along with the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA)… Read More
DOT to deploy 'tourist cops' in Bicol
January 15, 2023, 4:39 pm
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Tourism in Bicol (DOT-5) will soon deploy "tourist cops" in the different local government units (LGUs) as it activates its Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) program. On Sunday, Herbie Aguas, DOT-5 director, said the creation and… Read More
PH, China to resume direct flights, pre-Covid tourism figures
January 5, 2023, 1:29 pm
MANILA – The Philippine and Chinese governments are committed to bringing back pre-pandemic levels of tourist arrivals and resuming direct flights, especially between Manila and Beijing. The commitment came following the signing of the Implementation Program (IP) of the Memorandum of… Read More
Normal ops resume at Dumaguete airport
January 3, 2023, 4:27 pm
DUMAGUETE CITY – All flights to and from the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport in Negros Oriental returned to normal on Tuesday following two days of cancellations due to air navigation technical issues at the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines… Read More
PH exceeds target with 2.6-M international arrivals in 2022
January 2, 2023, 8:07 pm
MANILA – The holidays delivered further gains for the Philippine tourism industry as it breached its 1.7-million target with 2.65 million international arrivals as of the end of 2022. The arrivals translated to PHP208.96 billion or USD3.68 billion in tourism revenues, a whopping 2,465.75-percent… Read More
