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Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
Hotels offering staycations can’t offer quarantine space
ONLY 10 star-rated hotels in Metro Manila have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to offer staycations.
Working capital loans for tourism sector set in MOA
MORE than 10,000 tourism enterprises accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) may be eligible to apply for working capital loans with the Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.)
‘Flight to nowhere?’ PAL calls it an ‘aerial tour’
PIONEERING flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is selling 108 seats on its Airbus 321-Neo aircraft for a scenic “aerial tour” of key destinations in the Philippines for October 31.
Hotels book P14 million in sales during promo; Virtus launched
HOTELS across the country generated some P14.1 million in bookings during the September Online Sale of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association Inc. (HSMA).
The digital traveler
THE Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), will be making available nationwide a fully integrated digital app for booking flights, hotels and tours.
A long road back, but tourism will get there
Condé Nast Traveler readers choose PHL islands among the top in Asia
READERS of the popular travel publication Condé Nast Traveler voted for Cebu and the Visayas as Top Islands in Asia this year.
Boracay resorts seek antigen pilot-testing to lure tourists
RESORT owners are urging the government to allow the pilot-testing of an antigen test for entry to Boracay, to allow more tourists to come to the world-famous resort island.
DTI’s Lopez: Boracay workers don’t need mandatory Covid-19 testing
BUSINESSES on Boracay Island are not required to send their employees for Covid-19 tests every month.
DOT-accredited tourism enterprises surge by 32%
MORE primary tourism enterprises are expected to sign up for accreditation with the Department of Tourism (DOT) with the agency’s digitization program.
‘Tourists in Boracay must wear mask, but not while swimming’
‘Boracay tourists don’t need PNP travel OK’
TOURISTS to Boracay Island don’t need to secure a travel authority from the Philippine National Police (PNP).
‘Staycations’ now allowed under GCQ, but rapid testing required
FILIPINOS feeling cooped up at home due to the community quarantines and travel restrictions may now have the option of booking short leisurely vacations in hotels, otherwise known as “staycations.”
Phitex 2020 nails P16M in travel deals
AN initial P15.6 million in revenue has been projected from deals closed between local sellers and foreign buyers at the recently concluded Philippine International Travel Exchange (Phitex) 2020.
What Covid took away
FILIPINOS took a mind-boggling 109.7 million domestic trips in 2019, up 11.26 percent from 2018, or an average 25-percent increase from 2010, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Rise and help
THE Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down, wreaking havoc on everyone’s daily lives, especially Filipinos already facing struggles well before the health crisis hit.
Cheers greet Boracay’s opening to more tourists
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is looking to reopen most major tourism destinations before the year ends.
Sagada, other North Luzon destinations eye reopening to tourists
MORE destinations in Northern Luzon are considering reopening to tourism, following in the footsteps of Baguio City, which will be accepting tourists from the Ilocos region by October 1.
Boracay to reopen to tourists from GCQ Oct. 1
BORACAY lsland will finally reopen to tourists even those coming from general community quarantine areas like the National Capital Region.
Travel tax take seen to fall to P1.2 billion in 2020
TRAVEL taxes paid by citizens and visitors leaving the Philippines are projected to fall by 83 percent this year, owing to the continued international travel restrictions implemented to contain the spread of Covid-19.
PHL enters global tourism body’s ‘safe travel’ list
THE Philippines has made it to the list of the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) safe travel destinations, and was bestowed a stamp that makes it official as the 100th such destination.
DOT only has P1.4 billion to promote PHL as pandemic guts tourism
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) will allocate some P1.44 billion in its budget next year to promote the Philippines and its many key destinations to foreign and domestic travelers.
Arrivals down 76%, but travel fair nets buyers
INTERNATIONAL tourist arrivals fell by a whopping 76.3 percent to some 1.32 million in January to August this year, as travel restrictions in the Philippines and around the world continued to prevent the movement of travelers.
‘People are eating more pizzas during lockdown’
TRANSPORT network company Grab has seen a surge in food deliveries since the community quarantines imposed by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Manila Resto Week to boost recovery
OVER 60 restaurants are participating in the Manila Restaurant Week, a project of Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
Speed up payment for quarantine stay of OFWs, hotels ask OWWA
THE Hotel Sales and Marketing Association Inc. (HSMA) has appealed to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) to pay them for the hotel-quarantine stays of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Concentrix PHL to recruit displaced tourism workers
CONCENTRIX Philippines, a leading business-process outsourcing (BPO) company, will be making available over 10,000 jobs nationwide, with an eye on hiring a number of displaced tourism workers.
‘New normal’ rules mandate physical distancing in beaches
PHYSICAL distancing will be strictly enforced in island and beach destinations, under “new normal” health and safety guidelines issued on Monday by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
‘Work + Study + Play’ trending now
WORKATIONS with a study component are now a new market being tapped by a number of hotels and resorts, to beef up their occupancy amid Covid-19.