2023 September 29 MANILA – The Philippines has received more than four million foreign visitors since the beginning of 2023, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco shared the inspiring data Friday. The country hit a total of 4,005,465 in arrivals, accounting for over PHP316 billion in tourism spending as of posting. “I am very pleased to deliver the...
Category: Travel
DOTr: Direct flights from Thailand to Philippine tourist destinations doable
2023 September 12 MANILA – Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista assured senators on Tuesday that he will work with the Department of Tourism in creating available direct flights from tourist destinations in Thailand to the Philippines and vice versa. During the budget deliberation of the DOTr and its attached agencies, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri...
Frasco cites Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s programs for tourism industry
2023 September 2 MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Friday that policies and programs that would upgrade critical tourism infrastructure and capacity building for the workforce and entrepreneurs are underway. In his speech read by Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco during the 34th Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) opening ceremony at the SMX Convention Center,...
New law declares Baler ‘birthplace of Philippine surfing’
2023 August 8 MANILA – The measure declaring the town of Baler in Aurora province as the “birthplace of Philippine surfing” has lapsed into law. Republic Act (RA) 11957, the new law, recognizes Baler as “one of the premiere surfing sites in the country” and one that earned a “significant spot in the history and origin...
Albay town eyes subterranean cave as new tourism site
2023 April 14 POTENTIAL TOURIST SPOT. A team from the Municipal Tourism and Cultural Heritage Office of Camalig town in Albay province conducts an initial area and risk assessment at the Calabidongan Cave on Thursday (April 13, 2023). The cave located in Barangay Calabidongan is being eyed as a new tourist attraction in the town. LEGAZPI...
Philippine destinations nominated anew in 2023 world travel awards
2023 February 21 MANILA – The Philippines and two of its leading destinations have been nominated for major awards under the Asia category of the 30th World Travel Awards (WTA). The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Tuesday that the Philippines is running as Asia’s Leading Beach Destination, after winning in the same category during the last...
Philippines holds great potential to attract Japanese tourists: Travel Org
2023 February 10 MANILA – Japanese stakeholders are bullish on Philippine tourism prospects, especially with a wide range of travel offerings. Takahashi Hiroyuki, chairperson of the Japanese Association of Travel Agents, said during a stakeholders’ meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, that the Philippines would attract a large number of Japanese...
Canada ending requirements for COVID-19 vaccines, ArriveCan app at border Sept. 30
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed to let a cabinet order enforcing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements at the Canadian border expire at the end of this month. The decision was confirmed by two senior government sources, who spoke to The Canadian Press on the condition they not be named because they were not authorized to...
U.S. lawmakers, advocates pushing Ottawa to eliminate ArriveCan, open Nexus offices
The online campaign calls on Ottawa to scrap the troublesome ArriveCan app, a mandatory pre-screening tool for visitors to Canada, and to tackle the backlog plaguing the Canada-U.S. trusted-traveller system known as Nexus.
MP says Ottawa underestimated Canadians’ desire to travel again after pandemic
A member of Parliament says Ottawa may have underestimated Canadians’ desire to travel when planning for a return to normal following the end of most pandemic restrictions. Airlines and airports have been grappling with a surge in customers this summer, compounded by staffing shortages affecting carriers and federal agencies. As a result, travellers have experienced...