Tag: Philippines tourism

Philippines speaker Alan Peter Cayetano wants the government to ramp up testing among tourism frontliners as the country prepares for reviving domestic tourism. Cayetano cited the need to include tourism in the government’s plan to expand its testing strategy to cover nonmedical frontliners, who are not showing symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). He also urged the Department of Tourism (DoT) to work with the Task Force Test, Trace, Treat and the private sector to accelerate the plan to conduct Covid-19 testing for the workers in key tourist destinations, Manila Times has reported. “An aggressive and sustained Covid-19 testing ... Read more

The tourism sectors of India, Indonesia and the Philippines are likely to be the laggards among countries trying to revive the travel industry, a report released by ANZ Research has said. Since most countries are now past the worst of their Covid-19 outbreak, restrictions on travel are being eased and appetite for travel would gradually return, the report said. But in the three aforementioned countries, the number of active coronavirus cases continue to rise, making recovery difficult. Tourism in the region is entering the recovery phase, but the pace of this recovery [would] depend on the evolution of the pandemic ... Read more

India on Tuesday banned the entry of passengers from Malaysia, Philippines and Afghanistan into the country with immediate effect. In an additional travel advisory the government said no flight shall take off from these countries to India after 3 pm IST. The various airlines concerned should enforce this at the port of initial departure, the advisory said. This instruction is a temporary measure and will be in force till March 31 and will be reviewed subsequently. India has already banned the entry of passengers from EU countries, Turkey and the UK till March 31.

Boracay Island of Philippines has still been favourite among Chinese and Korean tourists, despite the challenges posed by its closure and rehabilitation in recent months. As per the statistics of the Department of Tourism in Boracay, the two leading tourist market sources accounted for 80 per cent of 216,766 foreigners visiting the island for the first two months of 2019. Overall, the domestic tourism market drew 110,406 arrivals, 13,147 of whom were overseas Filipino workers. Total tourist arrivals for the first two months totalled 340,309 compared to 375,993 last year. The drop in tourist numbers was due to Boracay’s closure ... Read more

As part of the Tourism Ministry’s effort to make Philippines one of the major tourism destinations in the world, the Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is in Tel-Aviv to participate in the Annual International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) 2019. Puyat was welcomed by the Israel Tourism Minister Yariv Levin on Monday, during a courtesy call to the Levin’s office in Jerusalem. Starting direct flights from Manila to Israel was part of the discussions. Both the officials also enter into a labour agreement that allows up to 1,000 Filipinos to work in Israeli hotels. Philippines Ambassador Neal Imperial, Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr., ... Read more

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is gearing up for two major aviation events in an effort to boost the Philippines’ bid as one of Asia’s aviation hubs. Slated on March 10-12 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Routes Asia “brings together top-level speakers from across the sphere of aviation, including airlines, airports, destinations, aircraft manufacturers and more, to discuss the most pressing issues facing aviation now and into the future.” Meanwhile, the CAPA Asia Aviation that will be held in June is expected to gather some 300 aviation executives and decision-makers. “This will be the perfect avenue to converge ... Read more

Department of Tourism (DOT) is s of Philippines set to review and revise the targets and strategies under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) early next year. “So we will be reviewing our goals when you talk about gross domestic product (GDP) contribution, direct domestic tourism, etc.,” said Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Tourism secretary. Tourism Undersecretary and spokesperson Benito Bengzon said the Junior review is set to begin by the end of January. “When we review the plan, we will not only review the strategic directions, the programs, but we would also have to look at the performance indicators which would also ... Read more

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has accredited 13 tour guides, who are with hearing difficulties to guide deaf tourists to the tourism hotspots of the country. Their first assignment was to guide 30 students from the Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD) to Manila’s historical spots, including Rizal Park, National Museum, and Fort Santiago. Such specialized tour, which is the first of its kind, was designed to foster a non-handicapped educational tour for sustainable growth and development in tourism. The programmed was initiated by the Office of Industry Manpower Development (DOT-OIMD) in partnership with the De La Salle College of ... Read more

Terence Cardoz, owner of Divine Line Productions and a prominent Line producer known to tourism board worldwide and also film commissions internationally, urging Indian and international film makers to explore the beauty of Philippines through their films. “I was always fascinated by the Philippines and visited the country several times. Philippines needs to be strongly promoted and there’s no other way than having films being shot in the Philippines, which can also boost tourism in that country. No Indian films have been shot in the Philippines till now. Only a survivor TV serial from India was shot in the country a couple ... Read more

Boracay has re-opened to tourists visiting the Philippines  after it was forced to close down due to the high levels of sewage and damage that was ruining it. The visitors will be allowed from October 26. The six-month closure has led to a number of new rules for tourists to follow. The island, which was forced to close in April, restrict most of the popular beach activities such as smoking or drinking alcohol as well as dining on the beach. It is also said that there are restrictions regarding building sandcastles. Water excursions such as boats and skiing and diving activities ... Read more

Renounced tourist destination of Philippines – Boracay island – will reopen on October 26th 2018, but with restrictions to the number of tourists. The island was closed for six months as a rehabilitation effort of the environment. Boracay, located off the northern tip of the central island of Panay, is popular for its sugary white sands, greenish blue waters, lively nightlife and the availability of varied water sports, which attracted nearly 2 million domestic and foreign visitors last year. During last April, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of the island, calling it a ‘cesspool’, as sewage and wastes were ... Read more

Bernadette Romulo Puyat, Secretary, Philippines Tourism  As per the statistics of the Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT), foreign visitor arrivals reached an all-time high of 3.7 million for the first half of 2018. In a statement, the DOT said inbound tourists from January to June this year rose by 10.4 per cent when compared to the 3.3 million arrivals recorded in the same period in 2017. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said “Our continuous marketing promotions, belligerent actions to create new air routes and develop new tourism products, travel facilitation, and confidence in tourism investments boosted the industry and resulted ... Read more

Philippine President Rodrigo Dutetre has named Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Puyat as the new secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT) a day after he fired Wanda Teo over corruption allegations. Duterte made the appointment on Tuesday night. Duterte’s aide Christopher Go confirmed Puyat’s appointment late Tuesday. Puyat was undersecretary for administration, agribusiness and marketing, and regional engagement at the Department of Agriculture before her appointment as tourism secretary. Teo is the latest senior government official that Duterte fired over corruption charges.  The tourism department has been burdened by corruption issues and the impact of the six-month closure of Boracay island, ... Read more

Around one million visitors – both domestic and foreign tourists- visited the Walled City of Intramuros during the Holy Week. The Department of Tourism, Philippines and its attached agency the Intramuros Administration (IA), had arranged a series of events to promote the Walled City as a holistic faith destination in Metro Manila. “For a predominantly Catholic country like the Philippines, the Holy Week or Lenten season is a perfect time to reflect, repent and travel. We congratulate the Intramuros Administration and our Faith Tourism sector for the successful reopening of the Walled City for the Lenten season,” said Tourism Secretary ... Read more

Film tourism in the Philippines is gaining popularity as it creates significant impact in connecting audiences to destinations used as film locations. Realising the potential of film tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), launched Cine Turismo, a new campaign which seeks to promote Philippine destinations through films. As part of its launching activity, Cine Turismo recognized select films which best promoted the Philippines in their filming. Eight Filipino-made films and two foreign films and two South Korean films were awarded. TPB Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano and Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda ... Read more