Show some love! Philippines in the running at World Travel Awards 2024

It is time to show some love for the Philippines once again as the country is in the running to win several categories at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2024.

The Philippines aims to win as the World’s Leading Beach Destination 2024, the World’s Leading Dive Destination 2024, and the World’s Leading Island Destination 2024. The country is defending champion as the World’s Leading Beach and Dive Destination, with awards won last year.

Also, popular tourist destinations across the country are among the nominees in various categories.

The historic walled city of Intramuros is nominated as the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2024, trying to beat 21 nominees from the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, United States, China, Ireland, Vietnam, Peru, Tanzania, Canada, South Africa, India, Japan, Greece, and Australia.

Philippines Nominated For Three Categories At The International Travel Awards 2024

Wedding photo credits to Santa Fe Beach Club

The Philippines has been nominated in three categories in the 2024 International Travel Awards – an annual program recognizing top-performing institutions in the Tourism and Hospitality industry, including tourism boards and tourism attractions.

“We welcome the good news of the Philippines’ nominations as Best Beach Destination, Best Island Destination, and Best Wedding Destination at the prestigious 2024 International Travel Awards. We are grateful for the global recognition of the quality and performance of the Philippine tourism industry resulting from the collective hard work, dedication, and innovative approach of our tourism stakeholders and workers,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.

First Ever Modified Eco-Friendly Tourist Rest Area to rise in Bicol Region

From left to right: TIEZA OIC Assistant Chief Operating Officer Jeoffrey Macalalad, Tabaco City Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman, DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, Vice Governor Glenda Ong Bongao, and DOT Regional Office V Director Herbie Aguas sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the sustainable Tourist Rest Area (TRA) in Tabaco City.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) marked a significant advancement for Bicol's tourism sector with the groundbreaking and signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the region's inaugural Tourist Rest Area (TRA), led by Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Tabaco City Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman.

This was the first TRA in the Philippines to receive the modifications of the flagship tourist facility being constructed by the DOT, through the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) across strategic locations, with features of solar panel roofing, a rainwater harvesting system, among other eco-friendly features.

The ceremonies took place on Wednesday (July 31) at the picturesque Hiraya Manawari Nature Park, which boasts stunning views of the iconic Mayon Volcano.

Department of Tourism taps Pinoys to be ‘Ambassadors of Fun’

Coinciding with the recent launch of the More Fun Awaits campaign, the Department of Tourism (DOT) calls on Filipinos to be “Ambassadors of Fun” and promote their hometown’s tourist attractions using various social media platforms.

This is part of the DOT’s crowdsourcing campaign wherein netizens will become tour guides of their locale by posting their own virtual tours or sharing their own photos on their recommended destination, activity, or dishes.

The campaign aims to build interest on local destinations by assigning a weekly theme, such as must-visit destination, must-try activity, or must-sample cuisine, which will be the basis for the posts. It will tap both ordinary netizens and local content creators as ambassadors of fun.

Coron, Palawan. Photo by Ryan Ramal (@layag.palawan)

For netizens, they can choose a platform—Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter—where they will post a photo or video of the destination/cuisine/activities in their area that they think should be experienced by tourists. The post should include the hashtags #MoreFunAwaits and #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines and must tag the official DOT social media pages.

Selected posts will be featured on DOT’s social media pages or used as part of promotional campaigns for international tourists.

DOT lauds private sector for vaccine rollout in El Nido

 

The Department of Tourism (DOT) expresses its appreciation to its partners in the private sector, namely AirSwift, AC Health, Ayala Hotels and Resorts, Healthway, Qualimed, Ten Knots, and Zuellig Pharma for providing *around 500 tourism workers and 100 of their dependents* in El Nido with their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccines on August 16.  

The DOT commends these companies for keeping the Bayanihan spirit alive amid difficult times through their initiative, giving a much-needed boost to the DOT's vaccination drive for tourism workers in Palawan.  

The program brings the total number of vaccinated tourism workers in El Nido to 1,761, or 25.16 percent of the total 7,000 masterlisted tourism workers in the municipality as of August 16. 

AirAsia joins tourism organizations in providing a welcome boost to Luzon Regions

 

AirAsia, in partnership with the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Congress of the Philippines has hosted a virtual meeting to present and discuss ways to boost tourism and economic growth in Luzon.

The ‘Virtual Luzon Regional Consultative Meeting’ took place last Friday, 30 April, attended by Jose Clemente III, President of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, Jovita Ganongan, OIC, Regional Director, DOT Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Fanibeth Domingo, OIC Regional Director, DOT Regional Office II, Engr. Christopher Morales, Regional Director DOT Regional Office IV-B, Fe Buela, OIC Dot Region V, Joseph Francisco Ortega, Regional Director, DOT Region I, Carlona Uy, Regional Director, DOT Region III, Michael Palispis, Regional Director, DOT Region IV-A CALABARZON, over a hundred Tourism Congress Members, industry stakeholders, and members of the media.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla said, ”COVID-19 may have halted a lot of dreams for the time being but at AirAsia we never stopped dreaming big. While we safely work from home, we are taking this time to carefully plan and plot our next moves for the strong return of tourism and air travel.

DOT backs “Balik sa Bohol” for tourism industry revival

The Department of Tourism (DOT), in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Bohol, announced its online travel fair, Balik sa Bohol: Bohol Online Sale, which will run from February 21 to March 14, 2021. The island-wide travel sale will offer discounts of up to 70% off on accommodations, dining, and tour services. 

The Balik sa Bohol: Bohol Online Sale aims to further promote domestic tourism among the public and encourage them to see Bohol’s natural and cultural wonders. To avail of Balik sa Bohol: Bohol Online Sale deals, visit traveloco.ph/balikbohol. 

“With the upcoming Balik sa Bohol: Bohol Online Sale, we look forward to more people travelling to Bohol to see and experience the beauty and wonders of the province,” DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.  

DOT lauds Bohol's celebration of the annual Ubi Festival

Photo from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist - Bohol

The Department of Tourism (DOT) lauds the Provincial Government of Bohol's efforts in setting up this year's annual Ubi Festival under the new normal. 

Running until February 24, the festival, which has been celebrated since year 2000, is proof of the Boholanos’ love for Ubi or purple yam. The root crop was revered as a “savior crop” as its discovery led to the alleviation of hunger in the province during pre-Hispanic times. Now, it has become a staple food for Boholanos because of its taste, long shelf-life, and the many food varieties that can be made from it.

As the largest producer of ubi in the country, Bohol is home to many ubi farmers who turn to the root crop for their livelihood. With this year's theme, “Pagpananum ug Ubi Napuslan, Kagutom Na Dala Sa Covid19 Nabatukan,” the festival aims to celebrate the root crop that has become an agro-historical-geographical-religious symbol for the province and highlight the impact and contributions of ubi farmers. 

DOT presents virtual concert to promote Manila’s cultural heritage sites

 

The Department of Tourism (DOT), through the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), takes a step further in promoting Manila’s cultural heritage sites, collaborating with The Manila Heritage Trail and Manila Heritage Alliance to bring a free virtual concert titled “Hinahanap-Hanap Kita Manila” bannering the music of iconic band Hotdog to performed by various OPM artists.

“The Hinahanap-Hanap Kita Manila concert gave us the warmth of nostalgia just in time for the holidays. Get ready to sing along to hit songs of Hotdog -- Annie Batungbakal, Bongga ka Day, Beh Buti Nga, Ikaw ang Miss Universe, and of course, Manila, which are just a few of the tracks that have contributed so much to the city’s colorful musical and cultural scene, all while visiting iconic Manila sites from the comforts of your home,” enthused Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who is set to join Mayor Isko Moreno as special guests at the online event broadcasting last December 13.

The tourism chief shared that the virtual concert is a continuation of the long-running Concert at the Park and Paco Park Presents events of the National Parks and Development Committee (NPDC). Among the sites to be featured in the concert are Manila City Hall, Luneta, Paco Park, Intramuros, Museo Pambata, National Planetarium and Jones Bridge. 

DOT launches webinar training on Reducing Single-use Plastics for hospitality sector

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has collaborated with the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI) in holding a webinar training program for the hospitality sector to reduce single-use plastics while keeping in mind health and safety protocols.

The DOT is inviting hotels, resorts and other enterprises to a training webinar entitled “Responsible Tourism through Plastic Upcycling and Waste Management” on December 15 at 1:30 PM. This training is organized by the Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) project, in cooperation with UN Environment (UNEP) and Clean our Oceans Project (CoOp), with guest speakers from World Wide Fund for Nature - Philippines (WWF).

This webinar aims to educate the hospitality sector on how to reduce plastic usage to help save marine life and from the COVID-19 pandemic. Interested participants can register through this link: https://bit.ly/PlasticUpcyclingWasteManagementReg

DOT and Mystery Manila Launch Gamified Virtual Tours featuring local tour guides

The Department of Tourism (DOT) partners with Mystery Manila for an online mystery tour of the Philippines titled, “Where in the Philippines is Sam San Mateo?” The gamified virtual tour employs actual tour guides, stationed in select destinations across the country, to lead the game through video streaming.

Participants can play as virtual tourists as they visit famous landmarks and destinations in the Philippines to find helpful clues that will reveal the next destination and further their quest to track down Sam San Mateo, the game’s fictional travel vlogger.

airasia launches UNLI Flight Pass for travelers to boost domestic economy

In an effort to accelerate economic recovery and in support of the Department of Tourism’s drive to boost tourism in the Philippines, airasia today launches its UNLI Flight Pass, available on airasia.com only until this weekend.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla said, “We are very pleased to welcome the return of domestic leisure travel with the launch of our UNLI Flight Pass, an unbeatable deal perfect not only for leisure travelers but for business travelers as well. The launch of our UNLI Flight Pass is a campaign focused on revitalizing the travel and tourism industry, as we prioritize the stimulation of economic activity especially in AirAsia’s domestic destinations.

“I encourage business travelers and those craving a much needed vacation to sign up for an airasia BIG Membership to take advantage of this limited-time offer and to take part in rebuilding local economies in support of the government and other tourism stakeholders.”

Philippine real estate companies win in Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards 2019

(L-R) Dot Property commercial director James Claasen and country manager for the Philippines Tanya Yu, with Grand Land president Ryan Go, Santos Knight Frank  assistant manager for residential services Marievie Gimena and LeadingRE executive VP for global operations Chris Dietz.

Three leading Philippine real estate companies recently received recognition during the prestigious Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards 2019 held at the Park Hyatt Bangkok in Thailand.

The Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards is a recognition program that recognizes the best regional real estate companies – from leading developers and projects to real estate agents and companies that contribute to the growth of the sector. 

CDO to attract more domestic tourists through Regional Travel Fair

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), will expand its domestic footprint with the commencement of the 5th Regional Travel Fair (RTF) in the City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan de Oro.

Supported by the Local Government Units (LGUs) of Northern Mindanao, the RTF aims to promote and strengthen domestic tourism by encouraging travelers to discover more of the Philippines year-round. 

TPB supports Get Global Exhibition in Australia

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), as part of its strategic thrust to strengthen its Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) campaign, supports Get Global – Where the World Meets, an industry exhibition in Australia at the International Convention Center (ICC) Sydney.

Launched in 2017, Get Global has become a reputable platform that connects international MICE suppliers with buyers, including corporate meeting planners, incentive houses and professional conference organizers (PCO), and has been recognized as "Exhibition of the Year" by Meetings & Events Australia for two consecutive years.

Full speed ahead for PH Tourism with the Philippine Business Mission to Japan

As part of the invigorated thrust to attract bigger tourist arrivals from Japan, the Philippines recently once again concluded a series of successful Philippine Business Mission (PBM) in Sapporo, Nagoya and Tokyo. Japan ranks 4th in terms of tourist arrivals, with a growth rate of 8.15% or a total of 631,801 Japanese visitors in 2018, compared to 581,180 arrivals in 2017.

TPB to tap huge MICE market in China during IT&CM

Incentive Travel and Conventions, Meetings in Shanghai, China.

To help position the Philippines not only as a top tourist destination but also as a premier venue for meetings, incentives, conventions, events, and exhibits  (MICE), the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is set to tap into the Chinese MICE market through the annual Incentive Travel and Conventions, Meetings (IT&CM). To be held in Shanghai on 19 to 21 March 2019, IT&CM is the only MICE trade fair in Shanghai and Eastern China, making it China’s largest gathering of MICE professionals.

Delegates from the Philippines will include TPB representatives and ten Philippine co-exhibitors from different MICE industries: hotel and restaurant, travel agencies, tour operators, convention venues, and incentive houses. IT&CM is a great opportunity to expand the delegates’ business and networking capabilities through a series of MICE-related functions and tours.

The Philippines makes a splash at the ATF 2019 in Vietnam

With an estimated US$ 475,000.00 business leads generated during the four-day event, the participation of the Philippines in the recently-concluded ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Hanoi, Vietman was a resounding success for the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) with the Department of Tourism (DOT).

A 270 sqm. booth was secured by TPB to showcase the inviting array of local destinations, attractions, and special interest programs the Philippines has to offer. The Philippine Late Night FUNction, held on the third day of ATF, was very well attended, with fantastic prizes raffled off to lucky attendees. A sumptuous spread of favorite local dishes was served at dinner, with talented Pinoy performers providing the evening’s entertainment.

Flavors Of The Philippines 2017: 7,641 Islands Without Leaving The City

Craving for a taste of your favorite Filipino dishes but you’re stuck in the Metro? Worry not for this April, several hotels and restaurants are giving you the chance to savor the Flavors of the Philippines with special dishes that are available for this month.

Flavors of the Philippines 2017 is the third year of the month-long gastronomic celebration of Filipino cuisine mounted by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board.