Travel and Tourism

Cebu Pacific resumes Cotabato ops Oct. 1

Cebu Pacific resumes Cotabato ops Oct. 1

September 29, 2023, 4:38 pm

MANILA – Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) will resume operations to and from Cotabato Airport beginning Oct. 1. In a post on its Facebook page, CEB said it was able to complete a thorough and satisfactory safety assessment of the airport's runway, after examinations and repairs by the Civil… Read More

PH surpasses 4-million mark in foreign arrivals

PH surpasses 4-million mark in foreign arrivals

September 29, 2023, 4:05 pm

MANILA – The Philippines has received more than four million foreign visitors since the beginning of 2023, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco shared the inspiring data Friday.The country hit a total of 4,005,465 in arrivals, accounting for over PHP316 billion in tourism spending as of… Read More

Frasco eyes Tawi-Tawi as potential tourist destination

Frasco eyes Tawi-Tawi as potential tourist destination

September 28, 2023, 8:07 pm

MANILA – Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco sees huge opportunities in developing Tawi-Tawi as a tourist destination in Mindanao, citing the growth and development tourism can bring into the province. Speaking at the 1st Tourism Pride Summit in Makati on Thursday, Frasco said the Department of… Read More

DOT: NAIA theft case doesn't reflect PH tourism workforce

DOT: NAIA theft case doesn't reflect PH tourism workforce

September 28, 2023, 6:51 pm

MANILA – Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco on Thursday said the case of an airport screening personnel involved in the alleged theft of USD300 from a passenger is “isolated” and does not represent the entire tourism workforce of the Philippines. Frasco believes the case will not affect the… Read More

1st PH summit promoting inclusive travel for LGBTQIA+

1st PH summit promoting inclusive travel for LGBTQIA+

September 28, 2023, 5:31 pm

MANILA – The Philippine government on Thursday vowed to promote inclusive travel in its bid to position the country as an LGBTQI+-friendly destination in the region. During the first Tourism Pride Summit in Makati City, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the Philippines plans to implement… Read More

Film museum to rise in Intramuros

Film museum to rise in Intramuros

September 27, 2023, 1:12 pm

MANILA – A film heritage building will soon rise in the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Wednesday. The DOT and its infrastructure arm Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) signed a 22-year agreement with the Film… Read More

DOT sees tourism sector employing over 30M Filipinos by 2028

DOT sees tourism sector employing over 30M Filipinos by 2028

September 22, 2023, 8:30 pm

MANILA – The country’s tourism sector is seen to employ over 30 million Filipinos by the end of 2028, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Friday. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco made the forecast during a panel discussion at the 10th edition of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) in… Read More

3.87-M foreign tourist arrivals near PH full-year target

3.87-M foreign tourist arrivals near PH full-year target

September 20, 2023, 4:47 pm

MANILA — The Philippines is close to hitting its 2023 arrival target after recording more than 3.87 million foreign tourists as of Sept. 19, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Wednesday. At the opening of the 2023 Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) in Cebu, Frasco said the country logged… Read More

PH’s FIBA World Cup hosting boosts hotel occupancy, visitor arrivals

PH’s FIBA World Cup hosting boosts hotel occupancy, visitor arrivals

September 18, 2023, 8:21 pm

MANILA – Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco on Monday said the country’s hosting of the FIBA World Cup 2023 from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 has brought favorable improvements to the tourism industry. Frasco noted an uptick in the hotel occupancy rates as teams, basketball… Read More

Antique, Misamis Oriental, N. Mindanao eyed as go-to dive sites

Antique, Misamis Oriental, N. Mindanao eyed as go-to dive sites

September 17, 2023, 4:43 pm

MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is preparing Antique, Northern Mindanao and Misamis Oriental as the next go-to diving sites to sustain the Philippines’ standing as the leading dive destination in the region. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco made the announcement during the… Read More

Frasco cites PBBM's programs for tourism industry

Frasco cites PBBM's programs for tourism industry

September 2, 2023, 9:03 am

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Friday that policies and programs that would upgrade critical tourism infrastructure and capacity building for the workforce and entrepreneurs are underway. In his speech read by Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco during the 34th Philippine… Read More

More than 80 PH hotels, resorts to join Sept Online Sale

More than 80 PH hotels, resorts to join Sept Online Sale

August 25, 2023, 12:58 pm

MANILA – At least 80 hotels and resorts are participating in this year’s September Online Sale (SOS) to offer marked-down rates in 19 destinations across the Philippines. The sale, led by the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA), will run from Sept. 1 to 30. “Wala nang mga limits… Read More

Be wary of travel scams; purchase tickets through app – AirAsia

Be wary of travel scams; purchase tickets through app – AirAsia

August 22, 2023, 7:02 pm

MANILA – AirAsia Philippines on Tuesday warned the public against unscrupulous individuals or groups representing the airline, luring them to purchase cheap tickets, tour packages and other products. In an advisory, AirAsia said it received multiple reports that several groups and individuals… Read More

PAL adding more flights to Samar starting September

PAL adding more flights to Samar starting September

August 22, 2023, 3:45 pm

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Airlines (PAL) is adding two more flights from Manila to airports in Catarman in Northern Samar and Calbayog City in Samar province starting in September. PAL Calbayog and Catarman station manager Gregory Paul Yulo announced in an advisory Tuesday that two flights… Read More

Cebu City tourism exec seeks more consular offices in China

Cebu City tourism exec seeks more consular offices in China

August 22, 2023, 11:02 am

CEBU CITY – The Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) on Monday urged the Marcos administration to open more consular offices in China and other Asian countries to further boost the tourism arrivals in Cebu and other parts of the country. Lawyer Jocelyn Pesquera, head of the CCTC, said a team from… Read More

 Niyogyugan Festival back in Quezon after 3-year halt

Niyogyugan Festival back in Quezon after 3-year halt

August 19, 2023, 7:49 pm

LUCENA CITY – The Niyogyugan Festival, Quezon province’s annual event to celebrate its coconut farmers, resumed after a three-year halt, bringing in an average of 20,000 tourists daily. The 11-day long festival that ended Saturday is part of the province’s commemoration of the birth… Read More

‘Fun, foodie, friendly' slogan seen to spur tourism in Iloilo

‘Fun, foodie, friendly' slogan seen to spur tourism in Iloilo

August 17, 2023, 7:57 pm

ILOILO CITY – The province is adopting the “Fun, Foodie, Friendly Iloilo” slogan for its tourism campaign under its Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally-competitive, and Resilient Province of Iloilo (MoRProGRes) whole-of-province approach in development. “In three words, we capture… Read More

DOT, NCIP partner to involve IPs in tourism dev’t

DOT, NCIP partner to involve IPs in tourism dev’t

August 17, 2023, 7:52 pm

MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) have formally partnered to boost the promotion of cultural heritage while empowering the indigenous peoples (IPs) through tourism. The DOT on Thursday said Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco and… Read More

Duty Free to hold 2-day sale for arriving int’l traveler

Duty Free to hold 2-day sale for arriving int’l traveler

August 17, 2023, 7:46 pm

MANILA – The Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) is holding a two-day sale for Balikbayans and all arriving international travelers this week, promising up to 20 percent discounts in two of its stores in Metro Manila. The weekend sale will cover a variety of items at the Duty Free… Read More

PAL to resume daily Tuguegarao flights in October

PAL to resume daily Tuguegarao flights in October

August 15, 2023, 8:25 pm

 MANILA – Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Tuesday announced the resumption of its daily flights between Manila and Tuguegarao in Cagayan province beginning Oct. 29. In an advisory, PAL said the link between Cagayan Valley and Metro Manila will have these daily schedules: • PR… Read More