Travel and Tourism
Over 7K hotels, resorts allowed to operate since lockdown
November 10, 2020, 12:57 pm
MANILA – Around 7,200 hotels and resorts have so far been allowed to operate since the first community quarantine was imposed in the country signaling the sector's bid to gradually recover from the effects of the pandemic, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Tuesday. The accommodation… Read More
Intramuros is Asia's leading tourist attraction: 2020 WTA
November 5, 2020, 8:10 pm
MANILA – The historic walled city of Intramuros has emerged as Asia's leading tourist attraction in the 2020 World Travel Awards, besting such world-class landmarks as India’s Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. This is the second time the Philippine destination won the title after getting… Read More
DOT inks MOU on tourism education, training
November 5, 2020, 1:52 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Thursday inked a memorandum of understanding that would integrate tourism skills training on junior and senior high school education. "Through the signing of this MOU, we can work towards the strengthening of industry-led education and training, which… Read More
Price cap on Covid-19 test to boost tourist confidence to travel
November 4, 2020, 7:31 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is optimistic the price cap on the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) test kits would further boost domestic tourists' confidence to travel to the reopened destinations across the Philippines. "With a standard cost for RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase… Read More
PH, DOT net accolades at 2020 World Travel Awards Asia
November 3, 2020, 10:51 am
MANILA – The 27th World Travel Awards recognized the Philippines as Asia's leading beach destination and Asia’s leading dive destination in 2020. The award-giving body also declared the Department of Tourism (DOT) as this year’s leading tourist board in Asia, besting 11 nominated countries.… Read More
Travel PH app to keep tourists updated on open destinations
October 30, 2020, 8:56 pm
MANILA – The newly-launched Travel Philippines web application will keep tourists updated on the status of destinations that recently reopened, providing them one digital stop when planning leisure trips under the "new normal". The easy-to-use platform allows users to create itineraries, find… Read More
Palawan, Boracay listed among world's most beautiful places
October 30, 2020, 5:13 pm
MANILA – Palawan and Boracay, two of the Philippines' famous destinations, were cited anew, this time as among the 50 "most beautiful places in the world" by Big Seven Travel. The global travel site ranked Palawan in eighth place, praising its "immaculate string of islands". "Palawan is a… Read More
Travel bubble in Palawan 'successful': DOT exec
October 28, 2020, 5:31 pm
MANILA – The pilot travel bubble in Palawan since July 2020 had been a "success", a ranking Department of Tourism (DOT) executive said, days before the island expands the program to more areas in El Nido. "(It is) successful as we are able to enter and exit Palawan having an assured feeling of… Read More
Avail of SB Corp's loan program, tourism biz urged
October 28, 2020, 1:31 pm
MANILA – Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat urged micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avail of the CARES for Tourism Rehabilitation and Vitalization of Enterprises and Livelihood (CARES for TRAVEL) Program to help them sustain their businesses and keep… Read More
El Nido expands travel bubble starting Oct. 30: DOT
October 24, 2020, 3:28 pm
MANILA – El Nido is easing its travel restrictions to welcome more tourists starting October 30, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Saturday. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the provincial government of Palawan agreed to move on to the "second phase of El Nido's travel… Read More
CNTraveler award to help revive tourism in Cebu, Visayas
October 22, 2020, 3:45 pm
CEBU CITY – The recognition from an international travel magazine for Cebu and the Visayas islands as Top Islands in Asia is a good platform for the tourism industry to recover from the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino said on Thursday. The… Read More
DOT-Bicol plans reopening of tourism sites to 'outsiders'
October 21, 2020, 1:58 pm
LEGAZPI CITY – The opening of over a hundred tourism sites in Bicol to domestic tourists from other regions would depend on the outcome of a tourism stakeholders' meeting set next week by the local Department of Tourism (DOT) office. Fe Buela, DOT Bicol, officer-in-charge, said plans are being… Read More
Hotels in GCQ, MGCQ areas may soon open at full capacity: DOT
October 21, 2020, 1:55 pm
MANILA – Hotels in areas under general community quarantine and modified GCQ may soon open at full operational capacity, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Wednesday. This, after the DOT was given the authority by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious… Read More
Travel agencies plead for 'full refund' from airlines
October 21, 2020, 1:47 pm
MANILA – The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) on Wednesday "strongly urged" airlines to provide full refunds for canceled flights since March when the government imposed travel restrictions as a response to the coronavirus outbreak. As of September 2020, the estimated pending… Read More
Hybrid 2020 PHITEX generates P42-M amid pandemic
October 20, 2020, 9:01 pm
MANILA – The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) on Tuesday reported that the hybrid Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) last month has generated a total of PHP42 million in confirmed bookings, a success amid the restrictions posed by the pandemic on the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and… Read More
UNESCO features PH’s Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
October 20, 2020, 8:10 pm
MANILA – The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched a photo exhibition entitled “Protecting UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage through scientific research” at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France Oct. 7, 2020, and will run until Oct. 30, 2020.… Read More
‘Ridge to reef’ corridor milestone in PH tourism amid Covid
October 20, 2020, 12:58 pm
MANILA – The developments in the Ridge and Reef Corridor in Luzon serve as a "milestone" in the country’s bid to spur domestic tourism recovery amid the pandemic, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Tuesday. “The combined initiatives under the Ridge and Reef Travel Corridor have… Read More
PAL hopes non-essential travel boosts passenger demand
October 19, 2020, 8:41 pm
MANILA – Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is hopeful that the resumption of non-essential travel beginning Oct. 21 will boost passenger demand, spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said on Monday. During the Laging Handa public briefing, Villaluna said PAL is currently operating 15 to 20 percent… Read More
Baguio reopening to spur 'swift' PH tourism recovery
October 17, 2020, 6:06 pm
MANILA – The reopening of Baguio City to travelers from Luzon would spur a "swifter" recovery of the Philippine tourism industry that had been reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic since March, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Saturday. Baguio is set to start accepting… Read More
Eased travel movement between GCQ, MGCQ areas welcomed
October 16, 2020, 2:40 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Friday welcomed the amended guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the easing of movement of persons traveling between areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified… Read More
