Philippines

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) signed an MoU to promote the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program (SSCP) and to develop TourLISTA (Tourism Live-Inventory and Statistics of Tourist Arrivals) 2.0 application. DOT and DOST will work on promoting smart and sustainable technologies, delivery of transformative S&T products and services, capability building, and policy advocacy and formulation for impact and sustainability

MV Claudine Star, a passenger vessel, launched sailings between Tacloban and Cebu after 37 years on 10 Sep. This vessel will offer regular commercial services between both cities with a journey time of 10 hours

Marine biodiversity experts are urging Congress to pass the bill declaring Panaon Island in Southern Leyte as a “protected seascape” to protect it from threats. The bill was approved on the third and final reading in the House of Representatives

Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) is increasing its target of 12,000 room keys by 2028-2029 in their 27 properties in the Philippines, with the new target yet to be finalised. AGI is currently the largest hotel operator in the Philippines with more than 8,000 room keys across 19 operational homegrown and international hotel properties

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the economic growth is expected to be on track to reach its potential in 2024 but GDP may fall below target in 2025 and 2026. BSP’s Monetary Policy Report (MPR) said the government’s target to achieve 6%-7% in 2024 is achievable but may fall below expectations in the next 2 years

The US Embassy will open a new Visa Application Center (VAC) at Parqal Building 8 in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City on 28 Sep. It will also expand call centre services to US citizens in the Philippines from 28 Sep

Bohol Government ordered a temporary closure of Puntod Island due to a coral vandalism incident at the Estaca Snorkeling Area from 9 Sep

Kanlaon Volcano eruptions have caused 300 residents to evacuate their homes. Canlaon City Government helped with the evacuation process and provided temporary shelter in schools and community centres. Some tourist attractions in the city were closed due to volcano warning

2024’s Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) recorded 396.22 million PHP in sales despite fewer sellers compared to the previous edition. 115 sellers reported 288 sales leads, through meetings with 97 buyers from 18 countries. The 2023 Edition of Phitex generated 346.04 million in sales by 119 sellers

The Mansion House in Baguio City, which was turned into a Presidential Museum, is now open to the public

Tourism Secretary said the Philippines recorded 4.08 million international visitors from 1 Jan-5 Sep and generated 362 billion in revenue from Jan-Aug 2024, 111.17% of pre-pandemic levels

The Philippine peso recorded 55.905 against the USD, strongest in nearly 6 months, on 6 Sep

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the Philippines recorded 2.38 million unemployed individuals in July, with the unemployment rate recording 4.7%, the highest in 2024. The number of employed Filipinos stood at 47.7 million (95.3%) in Jul compared to 50.28 million (96.9%) in Jun. The underemployment rate stays at 12.1% in Jul same as Jun

The Philippines will introduce bonfire diving, a new tourism product to attract more visitors. Diving photographer Ram Yoro created this unique diving in 2015, which involves diving at night in shallow waters with light to attract planktons and other species, which is then good for diving photography

Boracay will open a dedicated private beach for Muslim women on 10 Sep at the Boracay Newcoast, a development by Megaworld Corp which includes hotels with halal kitchens. The Philippines Tourism Undersecretary said this would provide more options for Muslim tourists to improve their overall experience in Boracay

Inflation was recorded at 3.3% in Aug 2024 based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data. The national average inflation from Jan-Aug 2024 was recorded at 3.6%. The core inflation excluding selected food and energy items slowed to 2.6% in Aug 2024

Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) Director said domestic trips is expected to reach 130 million in 2024 exceeding pre-pandemic levels of 122 million by 6.6%, and higher than 93.5 million domestic trips projected by the Department of Tourism (DOT). He said by 2028, the Philippines could record 195.7 million domestic tourists. He attributed the surge in domestic trips to the overall improvement in the general welfare and living standard of Filipinos. He said the long weekends helped domestic tourism especially in Aug when it is low season in most destination

The Cambodian Education Ministry announced the opening of applications for Cambodian Scouts to join the “33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree”. The application will remain open until 25 Feb. The Jamboree will be held from 14-21 Dex at Kainomayan Scout Camp, Botolan, Zambales province

Storm Yagi took 13 lives in the Philippines and forced thousands to flee to safer ground. The storm was seen moving towards mainland China with high winds and rains. Schools and government offices in Manila and nearby provinces to shut on 3 Sep. 7 people lost their lives in landslides triggered by rains

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Tropical Storm Enteng (Yagi) will bring rain to Metro Manila and Luzon

The Department of Health (DOH) said its Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) announced that passengers travelling outbound and inbound will have to declare if they have had rashes, vesicles, or blisters as part of the electronic travel (e-travel) form health declaration section, as a precautionary measure for mpox

Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA) Secretary said the Philippines has to implement e-Visas and the VAT refund scheme for tourists to become a shopping capital in Asia

The Tourism Secretary highlighted the importance of wellness tourism during the General Assembly of the Wellness Tourism Association of the Philippines (WeTAP). During the meeting, a few key points were raised such as the need for research into wellness tourism, especially the professionalisation of tourism health practitioners, clear product communication and branding, empowering grassroots practitioners through engagement in education and training, and improving spa management through professional modules on the practice

The Philippines will host the 2024 World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony, on 3 Sep at the City of Dreams, Manila

Filinvest Hospitality Corp. (FHC) is targeting to double its 1,800 hotel keys in the next 5 years. PHC President said the company wants to add 2,000 rooms in Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Baguio, Clark, and Cebu

Visa announced a collaboration with Good Transport Solutions Inc. (GTSI) and GHL to facilitate card payments for rides on modern jeepneys. GTSI, a payment service provider has partnered with Lahug Apas Transport Cooperative (LATRANSCO) and the Mandaue Transport Cooperative (MTC) to introduce 120 modern jeepneys in Cebu and 20 in Mandaue City

The Philippines and Cambodian governments agreed to boost cooperation in trade and tourism. The agreement was reached during the visit of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Chenda Sophea to Manila to co-chair the 4th Philippines-Cambodia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC)

The Manila Marathon will be held on 6 Oct and will cover the cities of Pasay, Paranaque, Manila, Makati, and, if needed, Taguig. The Cebu Half-Marathon will be held on 24 Nov and will cover Baguio, Clark, Bataan, Manila, Legazpi, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Dapital

The Philippines recorded 3,276,731 international tourists from Jan-Jul 2024, +11.5% YoY

The Tourism Secretary said in 2023, the Philippines surpassed all baseline targets set under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 for tourism yields. She said based on a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the Philippine domestic market was valued at $52.1 billion USD (domestic visitors expenditure). The Philippines also recorded the highest contribution to national output in Southeast Asia, the tourism industry contributed $78 billion USD to the economy, equivalent to 17.9% of the GDP of the Philippines in 2023. The Philippines contributed 24.8%, the highest among other ASEAN members to the ASEAN GDP under the tourism industry. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in 2023, 6.2 million Filipinos found employment in the tourism-related sector and contributed 8.6% to GDP. Both domestic and international tourism expenditures recorded 3.36 trillion PHP. The Tourism Direct Gross Value Added (TDGVA) was also recorded at 2.09 trillion PHP, +47.9% the highest growth in 24 years. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said the trade surplus was recorded at 2.45 billion in travel services, the first time in 15 years

The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) called for an upgrade of the Philippines’ air quality standards through a campaign during the National Lung Month, featuring the installation of the “Breathing Billboard” monitoring system outside of the Lung Centre of the Philippines in Quezon City, designed to help the public visualise the air pollution level in Metro Manila

DOT is working with the Department of Justice to lay the foundations for a 24-hour tourist court for the swift resolution of civil and criminal cases where foreign nationals are involved. The Tourism Secretary has proposed this plan to President Marcos Jr. and to the House of Representatives

The DOT presented its FY2025 budget for DOT and attached agencies to the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. The Tourism Secretary reported that the tourism sector surpassed all baseline targets set under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 for tourism revenue, as well as its contributions to national output and employment last year. DOT’s National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025 includes an allocation of 3.394 billion PHP, of which 83% (2.84 billion PHP) is accounted for by the Office of the Secretary (OSEC). Attached agencies, National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), will get an allocation of 384 million PHP, whilst the Intramuros Administration (IA) and the Philippine Commission of Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD) will get 146 million PHP and 25 million PHP, respectively

The Tourism Secretary said that the goal of 7.7 million international tourist arrivals in 2024 is now a “moving target”, considering challenges such as geopolitical issues and the slow return of the Chinese market. The Philippines has welcomed 3,622,635 international arrivals as of 7 Aug, of which 92.13% (3,336,021) are foreigners and the remaining 7.87% (286,643) are overseas Filipinos. South Korea was the top source market (960,809 arrivals; 26.37% market share); followed by the US (590,861; 16.22%), China (223,954; 6.15%), Japan (221,430; 6.08%), Australia (152,835; 4.19%), Taiwan, Canada, the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia. The Philippines has earned 323.68 billion PHP in estimated tourism receipts from 1 Jan-31 Jul, +13.18% YoY

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announced that the haze in Metro Manila is “likely due to local pollutants” and not volcanic smog from Taal Volcano

APEC Rep. Sergio Dagooc urged DOT to intervene with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to increase the limited capacity of power supply in Siargao. The Tourism Secretary said that DOT had proposed a partnership to the DOE on providing renewable energy programs to private entities on the island

Leechiu Property Consultants Director for Hotels, Tourism, and Leisure named Bohol as the top tourist destination in the Philippines (41%), followed by Metro Manila (39%), Cebu (36%), Siargao (36%) and El Nido (34%). He added that attention for hotel investment is also shifting to third-tier destinations such as Tuguegarao, Laoag, San Fernando, Tarlac City, and Batangas

Leechiu Property Consultants Director for Hotels, Tourism, and Leisure believes that the surge of balikbayans in Dec and the weak peso is not enough to boost visitor arrivals to the Philippines to reach the government’s target of 7.7 million by year-end. He added that Chinese arrivals in the country are “still significantly behind 2019” levels, despite a strong growth YoY. He forecasts that full recovery of inbound arrivals to 2019 levels “may not occur until 2026”

The Department of Health (DOH) announced that the Philippines has detected a new case of the mpox virus, the first case since Dec 2023