Tagged: News

The Philippine government is preparing for the Roxas Boulevard Park Redevelopment Project which seeks to transform parts of the area into a commercial strip.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) disclosed plans to redevelop the 7.6-kilometer Roxas Boulevard into a park complex by 2015. 

Manila Pavilion Hotel, in support of World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF-Philippines) Earth Hour 2014, joined thousands of businesses across the globe by switching off selected lights in the hotel and encouraging in-house guests to turn-off... Read More | Share it now!

The paradise island of Boracay earned a record-high PhP9.182 billion in revenues from the arrivals of nearly half a million foreign and local tourists in 2005, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The Philippines expects to welcome 18,000 cruise passengers this year from 15 visits of Costa Cruises, Europe’s top cruise company.

In a statement, the Tourism Department said the figure is almost twice the 10,000 passengers from Costa Cruises who visited Manila last year.

“Cruise ship tourists are a valuable segment of our arrivals as they come from the high-spending, silver markets of Europe and the US. I am pleased to note that beginning October of this year, Costa Cruises will upgrade to a bigger vessel that carries twice the number of passengers on board,” Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said.

Global air passenger traffic rose 11.7 percent year-on-year in May 2010, according to the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association (IATA).  "Demand rebounded strongly in May following the impact of the European volcanic ash fiasco in April. Passenger traffic is now 1 percent above pre-recession levels, while the freight market is 6 percent bigger," Mr. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and CEO said.

A survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2009 found that 22.8 million Filipinos with ages 15 years old and above traveled for any purpose within the country during the period 1st April to 30th September 2009.  The 2009 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors (HSDV) also shows that on the average, each traveler made two trips and visited two places in the country during the reference period.

US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. has conveyed his apology to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for his previous comment that 40 percent of male tourists visiting the Philippines do so for sex tourism, according to a report by Philippine Star. The American diplomat, who made his comment during a forum on human trafficking, caught the ire of some politicians who felt offended by a frank statement from a foreign dignitary.  Although sex trade is tolerated in night districts in Manila, Cebu, Davao and other major cities in the country, the government insists that prostitution is illegal here.

The Department of Tourism warned that it has received several complaints/reports regarding tours and travel bookings made on the internet through on-line booking websites for non-delivery of service or unethical business operations.

“This is to remind the public to be more cautious and conscientious in transacting business with these types of operators.  Before booking or purchasing any tour or travel services on-line, please check if the agent/operator is DOT-accredited.  A list of DOT-accredited enterprises is available at the DOT website,” it said.
 

Aviation think tank Centre for Aviation recently has cited Cebu Pacific Air as the Asia-Pacific Low-Cost Carrier of the Year, during the recently concluded CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence in Singapore. Cebu Pacific Air chief executive adviser Garry... Read More | Share it now!