Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco has announced ahead of the 2026 ASEAN leaders’ summit and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines supports efforts to establish a unified visa system among the regional group’s countries, “As early as the very first ASEAN meeting that I attended as Tourism Secretary, I expressed the Philippines’ desire to…
BLOOMS ALL AROUND. Tourists have their photographs taken at the Northern Blossoms in Atok, Benguet. The municipal tourism office said tourists visiting Atok reached 165,000 in 2024 from about 60,000 in 2023. (PNA file photo by Liza T. Agoot) By Liza Agoot BONTOC, Mountain Province – The municipality of Atok, known for its vast agricultural lands…
MANILA – Tourists can access support from Korean-speaking agents beginning this month through the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) expanded Tourist Assistance Call Center (TACC). DOT said recruiting Korean-speaking support agents reflects its commitment to enhance services for travelers from South Korea, the country’s largest source of inbound tourists. Travelers can now receive direct assistance from a…
TOURISM BOOM. HKTB executive director Dane Cheng during the “Juan in a Million” reception at Shangri-La The Fort on Wednesday night (Feb. 5, 2025). It celebrates the one millionth Filipino tourist to Hong Kong. (PNA photo by Joyce Rocamora) By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora MANILA – The Philippines remains as a key tourism market for Hong Kong as…
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) has recently announced the launch of its daily flights to El Nido and Coron (Busuanga) via Clark International Airport (CRK) starting March 30, this year. “Cebu Pacific is proud to position our Clark hub as a premier gateway to the Philippines’ most iconic destinations. With its growing network, Clark has…
MADRID – The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has bared that 1.4 billion people traveled internationally in 2024, marking a significant recovery for global tourism after the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the sector’s worst crisis in 2020-2021. According to the Madrid-based UNWTO, the number represents an 11 percent increase which refers to around 140 million…
MANILA – The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu officially launched the 2025 Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour for tourists in the US who want to visit the Philippines. The VIP Tour, formerly called the Ambassador’s Tour, is the flagship tourism program of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the US led by the Philippine Embassy in…
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (left) met with executives of Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc., owner of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, on May 13 to discuss the 600-room hotel’s closure on July 1. At right is PPHI President Esteban Peña Sy. (DOT photo) MANILA – The closure of the iconic Sofitel Philippine Plaza would be a “significant loss”…
The Philippines and Qatar signed at least nine agreements on Monday covering cooperation on combating human trafficking, seafarers’ welfare, tourism, sports and climate change during the state visit of Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Manila. Among those signed included a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the governments of the Philippines and Qatar…
TOURISTS AT THE BEACH. Thousands of tourists flock to Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan during the Holy Week. Malay chief tourism operations officer Felix G. delos Santos Jr., in an interview on Monday (April 1, 2024), said they are ready for the influx of tourists this April and May. (Photo courtesy of Flickr) ILOILO CITY –…
