Tag Archives: Philippines

The Philippines, home to lovely beaches and picturesque mountain vistas, has a lot more to offer to the visitors. The cities of the Philippines offer fun and unique activities that can be toured in a single day, with a cosmopolitan vibe. Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, is alive with sights and sounds of urban life at its busiest. It is also a contrast of the old and the new, with a mix of skyscrapers and heritage houses, and cars share the road with colorful jeepneys and horse-drawn calesas. One tourist stop in Manila should be the Walled City of Intramuros, built by the Spanish colonizers 500 years ago. Its stone ramparts are still intact, along with the other defenses such as its moats and cannons that protected the fort from both natural disasters and invaders. Visit the Casa Manila Museum to get a feel of life during the Spanish era and take a walking tour to the centuries-old churches Manila Cathedral and San Agutin Church to appreciate their architecture. Fort Santiago holds historic significance as the prison where the Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal was held before his execution in Bagumbayan. Other structures to check out nearby are the Manila Central Post Office, a neoclassical building that has been declared as an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum, the Cultural Center of the Philippines which is home to world-class performances by Filipino artists. Immerse yourself in art at the National Museum of the Philippines that houses the country’s largest and perhaps most iconic painting, the Spoliarium by Juan Luna, the National Museum of Natural History that showcases Philippine flora and fauna, and the National Museum of …

Christina Garcia Frasco, Secretary, Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines, said that the goal of the Department is to increase cruise ship calls to various ports and islands. “Phillippines aims to be cruise hub in Asia,” she said.

The Philippines is a country full of beautiful scenery, abundant natural resources, and welcoming people. Here, everybody is welcome to be part of the fun from the captivating coastlines to the creative native crafts, to the unique gastronomic experience, you will find the kind of fun that is uniquely yours. There is always something fun to discover. Festivals in the Philippines are an integral aspect of the local culture, known for their grand, vibrant celebrations. There are plenty of festivals which are celebrated in the beautiful country Major festivals include the Ati-atihan, Dinagyang and Sinulog festivals in Akian, Iloilo and Cebu respectively. They are one/two day events primarily for the domestic market – have international appeal. Here’s a list of festivals to keep a lookout for while planning your trip to the Philippines.   Buyogan Festival – Buyog (bees) dancers depict the origin of the town’s name in a well-choreographed dance/ festival. It has environmental preservation dimension importance of bees in nature preservation and man’s health. Dinagyang Festival – Dinagyang Festival is one of the biggest and world-class festivals in the Philippines. It traces the history of devotion to the Holy Child Jesus popularly known to Filipino devotees as Sr. Sto. Nino. The festival also commemorates the arrival of the Malay settlers and the legendary barter of Panay Island from the natives called called Ati. Karatong Festival – Karatong is the Waray (a native of and language in Leyte) word for bamboo. During the olden times, way before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the people in Dulag used bamboos to warn the town if there were enemies, such as pirates and tribes, who wanted to invade their lands. They …

The Philippines will lift travel restrictions on passengers coming from 10 countries beginning September 6, Malacañang announced on Saturday.”President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to lift the current travel restrictions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia starting Sept. 6, 2021,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

The Israel Ministry of Tourism, India Office will conduct a virtual presentation for the Indian travel trade on Tuesday, 13 July at 3pm IST. The session will highlight various offerings on leisure and MICE. To sign up, contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com. Highlighting the importance of the India market for Israel, Sammy Yahia, Director of Tourism (India & Philippines), Israel Tourism, says, “In the last year, the travel industry around the world has experienced significant challenges, especially in the Indian trade. With new travel relaxations being introduced every day I believe that in the next few years, India will lead the international travel boom with many Indian travellers itching to experience new international destinations.  Before the pandemic, Israel welcomed over 65,000 tourists from India, setting a new record for us. I feel that in the coming months and year, when things normalise, we will double the number of arrivals from India to Israel.”

India Tourism, Singapore, is organising a series of webinars cum B2B sessions titled ‘India Tourism Reconnect’ in the ASEAN region on March 11, 16 & 18, in line with the global vaccination drive. The aim is to reconnect the Indian tourism industry with stakeholders in key markets and start preparing for resumption of business as and when it is announced. The virtual meets will start on 11th March with a focus on Philippines followed by Malaysia (16th March) and Singapore (18th March). Apart from the MOT and State Tourism Organisations, leading tour operators, luxury hotel chains, river cruise and luxury train operators are also participating in the B2B session of the virtual event.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines  in cooperation with Department of Tourism & National Commission for Culture and Arts have launched “Fiesta Filipinas: An Online Celebration of Philippine Festivals”, a 6-part, multi-format online event series from December 2020 until May 2021, which will simulate the experience of a festival through a combination of live and pre-recorded videos and live workshops and activities. The project aims to introduce and showcase Philippine festivals, culture, and traditions to our global audience and invite them to the country when conditions are more favorable.

WTTC reveals that 100 destinations are now using its ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, with the Philippines becoming the official 100th destination to receive it. The stamp was developed in order to help restore confidence in travellers and work to revive an ailing travel & tourism sector, is now also being used by many more major holiday destinations such as the Maldives, Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda and Montenegro.

The Philippines recorded a growth of 18 per cent in visitor arrivals from India in 2017, according to a report by Centre for Aviation and Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines. India is the 12th largest source market for the Philippines, based on 2017 visitor data. The other top 12 source markets all have nonstop services – South Korea, China, the US, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. There were 107,000 Indian visitors to the Philippines in 2017 and only 52,000 in 2013 (the year PAL suspended service to Delhi.). Growth has been consistently in the high double digits, including 18 per cent in 2017, 21 per cent in 2016 and 22 per cent in 2015.

India has decided to offer visa on arrival to South Korean nationals, a home ministry official said. Like the Japanese nationals (who have been getting the privilege since March 2016), the facility to South Korean citizens include double entry visit for a period not exceeding 60 days for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes for entry through six designated international airports – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. According to an estimate, around 2 lakh Indian visas are issued to South Korean nationals every year, of which 80 per cent are tourists. On an average, 600 South Korean nationals arrive in Delhi daily. Though visa-on-arrival facility was earlier offered to citizens of 12 countries — Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea — it was discontinued in November 2014 after the launch of e-Tourist Visa scheme. The e-visa facility now covers practically all the countries of the world, 166 as of now, and foreigners can arrive at any of the designated 26 airports and five seaports in India without interacting with any official before checking in at the immigration counter. Under the e-visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it has been approved. The tourist can travel with a printout of this authorisation. On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then allow entry into the country. Source: PTI