Travel and Tourism
24.8K hotel rooms reserved for OFW quarantine, BPO staff use: DOT
April 8, 2020, 9:51 am
MANILA -- Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat confirmed a total of 11,549 hotel rooms for the accommodation of homebound overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are required to undergo the 14-day quarantine upon their arrival to the country. Meanwhile, business process… Read More
Getting by with a smile: DOT salutes Covid-19 front-liners
April 7, 2020, 5:56 pm
MANILA — As a tribute to all the front-liners facing the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the Department of Tourism (DOT) has recently released a moving clip capturing not only these people's resilience but their sacrifices and dedication, too. "Filipinos are known for their… Read More
DOT assists 6,000 tourists stranded in MIMAROPA
March 31, 2020, 6:44 pm
MANILA -- The Department of Tourism in Region 4B (DOT-4B) has assisted 6,371 tourists stranded, mostly in Palawan province. The DOT southwestern Tagalog regional office, whose areas of responsibility include Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan (MIMAROPA),… Read More
DOT assists 1K stranded tourists in Caraga
March 28, 2020, 2:00 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Saturday it has assisted 1,044 foreign tourists stranded in the Caraga region after the travel restrictions and flight cancellations due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). In a statement, the DOT said its Caraga regional office response… Read More
Tourism chief to do home quarantine
March 27, 2020, 2:59 pm
MANILA – Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Friday that she would undergo self-quarantine after the announcement that Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., has tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). In a statement, Romulo-Puyat… Read More
Nearly 11K tourists affected by ECQ get DOT aid
March 25, 2020, 7:46 pm
MANILA -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) has assisted a total of 10,829 local and foreign tourists affected by the enhanced community quarantine as of March 25. The assistance extended by the DOT includes the facilitation of flights to transport stranded tourists from various destinations to… Read More
P14-B allocation to span 3 years for tourism support: DOT
March 18, 2020, 8:33 am
MANILA – The PHP14-billion allocation for several tourism programs and infrastructure would span three years to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on the industry, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Tuesday. The tourism industry, which contributed… Read More
Int'l flights at Clark Airport drop 50%
March 10, 2020, 8:38 pm
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga — International flights at the Clark International Airport (CRK) have dropped by 50 percent due to the travel ban amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) scare. In an interview on Tuesday, Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation… Read More
PH's hot air balloon festival opens in Cavite
March 7, 2020, 1:59 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) hailed the successful opening of the Flying Carnival 2020 on Friday. Expected to attract more than 45,000 spectators from March 6 to 8, the Flying Carnival 2020 is the first Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) to be staged outside… Read More
PRRD joins effort to boost PH tourism
March 4, 2020, 8:04 pm
MANILA – Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat confirmed on Wednesday that President Rodrigo Duterte is visiting Boracay on March 12 to join efforts in lifting the public's mood to travel around the Philippines. Aside from promotions, the Chief Executive will also inspect what has been done… Read More
DOT earmarks P6-B to cushion Covid impact on PH tourism
March 4, 2020, 7:14 pm
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is allocating approximately PHP6 billion to spur Philippine tourism amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak, Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said on Wednesday. She said the amount will cover international and domestic promotions,… Read More
Intramuros visitors up despite Covid-19 scare
March 4, 2020, 1:01 pm
MANILA — Visitors in Intramuros have been increasing despite the expected slowdown on arrivals due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak. "(For Intramuros), the numbers are increasing due to promotions and the opening of new sites. Surprisingly, we were not that affected (by the… Read More
PH tourism revenue hits all-time high $9.31-B in 2019
March 2, 2020, 8:37 pm
MANILA — The Philippines' tourism revenue has reached a total of USD9.31 billion last year, up by 20.81 percent from USD7.71 billion receipts in 2018, the Department of Tourism (DOT) revealed Monday. Aside from all-time high earnings, 2019 has also witnessed several tourism milestones as the… Read More
Bohol exec eyes stimulus package for C. Visayas tourism
March 2, 2020, 6:30 pm
CEBU CITY – Governor Arthur Yap of Bohol province has recommended a national government-initiated stimulus package amid the negative impact of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) epidemic to the tourism industry in Central Visayas. “We have to keep the economy churning,” he said, citing… Read More
PH version of 'great sale' kicks off Mar. 1
February 20, 2020, 7:23 am
MANILA -- The Philippines is launching the 2020 Philippine Shopping Festival starting March 1, a nationwide sale that seeks to rival Singapore's great sale and Hong Kong's summer sale. "It’s not hard to see that elevating the shopping experience will go a long way to enhance the attractiveness… Read More
Legazpi City records 1.27M tourist arrivals in 2019
February 18, 2020, 12:35 pm
LEGAZPI CITY -- A total of 1.27 million tourists visited this capital city of Albay province last year, which is higher than the 1.25-million figure in 2018. The increased number is attributed to promotions of tourist destinations and different idyllic places here, said Tourism Officer Agapita… Read More
PH records 8.26-M int'l arrivals in 2019
February 17, 2020, 11:36 am
MANILA -- International visitors to the Philippines in 2019 reached 8.26 million, a 15.24 percent growth over 2018's 7.16 million arrivals. Almost all months, except January, registered double-digit growth rates, the largest of which was August at 27.54 percent while December recorded the highest… Read More
DOT welcomes lifting of Taiwan travel ban
February 15, 2020, 8:44 am
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed the lifting of the travel ban on Taiwan to minimize the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) global scare on the local tourism industry. “The lifting of the travel ban on Taiwan is highly assuring and we hope that the (Covid-19)… Read More
Boracay sees PRRD visit lifting domestic tourism
February 11, 2020, 7:16 pm
ILOILO CITY – Tourism in Boracay in Malay, Aklan, which has been affected by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which has now become an international health concern is expected to somehow boost activities in the island with the scheduled visit of President Rodrigo Duterte. Tourism Secretary… Read More
PH measures in place to contain nCoV, tourists assured
February 11, 2020, 6:12 pm
MANILA-- The country remains safe as precautionary measures are in place to contain the deadly 2019-novel coronavirus, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) said Tuesday. The DOT and TCP made the remark in a joint statement as they also announced… Read More
