Travel and Tourism

Catanduanes eyes major tourism boost via digital promotion

Catanduanes eyes major tourism boost via digital promotion

January 16, 2024, 6:39 pm

LEGAZPI CITY – The Catanduanes Tourism Office, bolstered by a significant increase in visitor arrivals last year, said Tuesday it will step up its promotion of the province through a digital platform to sustain the upward trend. In an interview, Carmel Garcia, Catanduanes Tourism Office chief,… Read More

Padre Pio shrine in Batangas aims for int'l shrine status

Padre Pio shrine in Batangas aims for int'l shrine status

January 16, 2024, 2:32 pm

MANILA – The National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas, Batangas is looking to attain the status of an international shrine. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website on Tuesday reported that the national shrine is aspiring for such stature, according to a… Read More

Puerto Princesa's 'Subaraw' festival nominated for PH LEAF Awards

Puerto Princesa's 'Subaraw' festival nominated for PH LEAF Awards

January 15, 2024, 8:56 pm

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – The tourism sector here just received a post-pandemic boost when an annual event celebrating the city’s majestic Underground River was nominated for the Philippine LEAF Awards’ Outstanding Festival Category. Mayor Lucilo Bayron told reporters on Monday that fresh… Read More

Bolinao town records 635.8K tourist arrivals in 2023

Bolinao town records 635.8K tourist arrivals in 2023

January 12, 2024, 5:20 pm

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – A total of 635,935 tourists visited the different travel destinations in Bolinao town, Pangasinan in 2023, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Domestic tourists accounted for the bulk of the visitors at 613,936 while foreign tourists totalled to 21,999, Bolinao Tourism Office… Read More

Palawan ranks 4th in Tripadvisor world’s trending destinations

Palawan ranks 4th in Tripadvisor world’s trending destinations

January 12, 2024, 4:12 pm Updated on January 12, 2024, 6:38 pm

MANILA – Palawan has been named the world’s fourth trending destination in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Award Best of the Best Destination. The award places the island together with popular destinations across the world, including Tokyo in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, Halong Bay… Read More

Int’l campaign seen to draw more tourists in Caraga

Int’l campaign seen to draw more tourists in Caraga

January 11, 2024, 9:27 pm

BUTUAN CITY – The intensified international campaign of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is seen to draw more positive impacts in the tourism industry in the Caraga Region. This came as the DOT-13 (Caraga) welcomed the installation of two billboards at the Bart and Muni Light Railway Train… Read More

New luxury hotel to rise in San Vicente, Palawan

New luxury hotel to rise in San Vicente, Palawan

January 11, 2024, 6:24 pm

SAN VICENTE, Palawan – Palawan's tourism and hospitality industries are getting a much-needed boost after a major developer announced that it would be building another luxury hotel in this municipality. Megaworld, touted as one of the country's premier property developers and operators, said it… Read More

Albay town opens WW II Japanese tunnel as new tourism site

Albay town opens WW II Japanese tunnel as new tourism site

January 10, 2024, 5:15 pm

LEGAZPI CITY – A new historical tourism site in Camalig town in Albay province is expected to provide residents with additional livelihood opportunities. In an interview on Wednesday, Tim Florece, Camalig spokesperson, said the World War II Japanese tunnel at Quituinan Hill in Barangay Tinago… Read More

South Korea's Jeju Air opening direct flights to Puerto Princesa

South Korea's Jeju Air opening direct flights to Puerto Princesa

January 9, 2024, 7:17 pm

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – Jeju Air, touted as South Korea’s first and largest low-cost airline, is opening direct flights from Incheon to Puerto Princesa beginning in March. Demetrio Alvior Jr., chief of the City Tourism Department (CTD), told reporters on Tuesday that this new route is… Read More

Puerto Princesa logs 76% rise in tourist arrivals in 2023

Puerto Princesa logs 76% rise in tourist arrivals in 2023

January 9, 2024, 5:42 pm

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – The City Tourism Department here has reported a notable rise in tourist arrivals in 2023, reaching nearly 529,000, according to preliminary data. Puerto Princesa tourism chief Demetrio Alvior Jr. said Monday afternoon the current count could still rise as not all data… Read More

DOT: Long weekends to boost domestic tourism

DOT: Long weekends to boost domestic tourism

January 5, 2024, 5:55 pm

MANILA – The four long weekends spread throughout the year is expected to further boost the country’s travel industry, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Friday. In a statement, DOT Secretary Christina Frasco joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in urging Filipinos to travel around the… Read More

Antique’s laid-back ambiance, religious relics attract more tourists

Antique’s laid-back ambiance, religious relics attract more tourists

January 4, 2024, 7:24 pm

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The laid-back ambiance and religious relics are among the attractions, drawing more tourists to Antique after the health pandemic.Antique Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (APTCAO) consultant Niklaus de los Reyes Torres said in an interview Thursday… Read More

PH records 5.45M int’l visitors in 2023

PH records 5.45M int’l visitors in 2023

January 2, 2024, 4:18 pm Updated on January 2, 2024, 4:20 pm

MANILA – The Philippines welcomed a total of 5,450,557 international visitors in 2023, well above the 4.8 million target arrivals the Department of Tourism (DOT) earlier set for the entire year. Of this number, 91.80 percent or 5,003,475 are foreigners while the remaining are 447,082 overseas… Read More

DOT urged to lure more overseas Filipinos to visit PH

DOT urged to lure more overseas Filipinos to visit PH

December 29, 2023, 5:54 pm

MANILA – House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan on Friday urged the Department of Tourism (DOT) to encourage Filipinos abroad to spend their holidays in the Philippines to help boost the country’s tourism revenues through their spending. “We want the… Read More

Long weekend ahead: Leisure trips to consider just outside NCR

Long weekend ahead: Leisure trips to consider just outside NCR

December 29, 2023, 9:33 am

MANILA – Thinking of traveling to make the most out of this upcoming long weekend but have yet to decide where to go? Look no further as nearby towns outside Metro Manila are teeming with a myriad of destinations that can surely satisfy all types of travelers.Below are attractions and activities… Read More

PH tourism: A year of exceeding expectations

PH tourism: A year of exceeding expectations

December 27, 2023, 9:46 am

MANILA – As inbound and domestic travel gain momentum, tourism in the Philippines has seen a remarkable turnaround this 2023, breaching targets and continuing to generate employment to millions of Filipinos. Based on the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) latest data, the industry already surpassed… Read More

Center for PH-Sokor tourism exchange opens in Puerto Princesa City

Center for PH-Sokor tourism exchange opens in Puerto Princesa City

December 23, 2023, 8:15 pm

CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – A facility envisioned to serve as a cultural and economic bridge between South Korea and the Philippines formally opened at Mercado de San Miguel here on Friday, just across the international airport. Known as the Seogwipo (Jeju) Tourist Center and Korean… Read More

Gov’t to Russians: Make PH your next travel, investment destination

Gov’t to Russians: Make PH your next travel, investment destination

December 23, 2023, 2:38 pm

MANILA – The Philippines has invited more Russians to make the country their next travel and investment destination after bagging the Tourism Destination of the Year award from the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RAUIE) last week. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)… Read More

DOT digitizes Bicol tourist arrival for efficient delivery of services

DOT digitizes Bicol tourist arrival for efficient delivery of services

December 19, 2023, 6:57 pm

LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT)-5 (Bicol) is utilizing an electronic record-keeping management tool to digitize tourist arrivals in the six provinces of the region. DOT-5 Regional Director Herbie Aguas said the tourism operations protocol system (TOPS) launched on Monday would… Read More

'Tis the season to visit Sorsogon

'Tis the season to visit Sorsogon

December 18, 2023, 4:23 pm

DARAGA, Albay – Sorsogon City in Bicol has been adjudged the top local holiday destination for Filipinos in 2023. It beats out more popular tourist spots such as Palawan and Boracay, according to Airbnb, a home-sharing platform. To unravel the allure of Sorsogon, three urban dwellers explain why… Read More