Tag Archives: Philippines

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world to recognize the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality. In the Philippines, women have played a significant role in the tourism industry, contributing to the growth and development of the sector. Let us see how the Philippines celebrates International Women’s Day in terms of tourism. The Philippines is a popular tourist destination, known for its natural beauty, cultural attractions, and hospitable people. The tourism industry in the country has grown significantly in recent years, contributing to the country’s economic growth. Women have played a critical role in this growth, working in various capacities, including tour guides, hotel staff, and travel agents. To celebrate the achievements of women in the tourism industry, the Philippines organizes various events on International Women’s Day. These events aim to showcase the contribution of women to the sector and inspire other women to pursue careers in tourism. They also provide a platform for women in tourism to network and share their experiences, challenges, and success stories. The nation goes above and beyond in supporting and showcasing women travellers, offering them a seamless and safe experience when travelling to and from the country. The Philippines also recognizes outstanding women in the tourism industry through awards and honours. These awards aim to recognize women’s contributions to the growth and development of the sector and inspire other women to excel in their careers. For example, the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines organizes the Mabuhay Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the tourism industry. In addition to these events and awards, the Philippines promotes gender equality in the tourism industry through various policies …

In anticipation of the surge of foreign tourists coming into the Philippines this summer season following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive for implementation of electronic visa systems, Department of Tourism (DOT), led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, initiated a high-level convergence meeting with the heads and representatives of agencies such as Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Justice and Bureau of Immigration to discuss visa reforms to ease entry to the country’s tourist source markets. The event is in continuation of the talks initiated by DOT since September 2022 with the concerned agencies to take up visa concerns for key tourism markets in the hope of finding solutions affecting the flow of entry of international tourists. Addressing tourism bottlenecks While the Secretary has recognized tourism achievements made last year as the Philippines ended 2022 with 2.65 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing the targeted 1.7 million figures, she emphasized there are still bottlenecks, which prevent the Philippines from fully unlocking the global tourism potential. “For this reason, our President has issued the directive to various government agencies to explore how the bottlenecks to travel into the Philippines may be addressed. He indicated one of the ways by which travel into the Philippines may be fully opened, especially to important markets. We must also explore the provision of electronic visas (e-Visa),” she said, citing the President’s directive that government agencies must explore the provision of e-visas to Chinese and Indian nationals. Indian tourist market’s potential Emphasizing the importance of the Indian tourist market, the DOT stated 58 per cent of the total Indian visitors are repeat travellers. Thus, the need to continue the efforts to sustain …

Anticipating the surge of foreign tourists coming into the Philippines in summer season and following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive for the implementation of electronic visa systems, the Department of Tourism (DOT) initiated a high-level convergence meeting with the heads and representatives from the DFA, DICT, DOJ and B to discuss visa reforms to ease entry for country’s tourist source markets.

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.