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 –…
The Philippines stands on an encouraging start in achieving its 2024 tourist arrival target after getting 1.2 million foreign visitors in the first two months of this year. The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that as of March 5, international tourist arrivals to the Philippines have tallied 1,227,815. Foreign tourist arrivals took the lion’s share with 1,160,129 or 94.49 percent while overseas Filipinos make up…
TRAVEL TRADE SHOW. The Philippine pavilion at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse 2024 Convention in Berlin, Germany. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco led the Philippine delegation with 60 other co-exhibitors from the public and the private sector. (Photo courtesy of DOT) MANILA – The provinces of Siquijor, Camiguin and other popular and underrated Philippine destinations were featured in the world’s largest…
The Clock Tower Museum inside the Manila City Hall is now open on weekends so the public “can also enjoy our museum even on Saturdays and Sundays,” accoeding to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna. Jose Ma. Belmonte, project head of the Manila Clock Tower Museum, said visitors are welcome from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays to Sundays. The museum features the colorful history…
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, and SM Development Corp. (SMDC) president Jose Mari J. Banzon recently awarded a brand new condominium unit courtesy of SMDC Quezon City to one lucky winner of the Bisita, Be My Guest (BBMG) incentive program. Ruperto Tumibay, a 79-year-old who hails from Nueva Ecija and a Filipino-Canadian citizen since 2008,…
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said a total of 5,450,557 tourists and guests visited the Philippines in 2023, well above its 4.8 million target arrivals earlier set for the entire year. Of the number, 91.80% or 5,003,475 are foreigners while the remaining 447,082 are overseas Filipinos. From January to December 31, 2023, the country also generated an estimated P482.54 billion in international tourism revenue, more than double the receipts…
