Press Centre

Philippines Truimphs at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2010 in Wales

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Chorale bested other choirs from around the world in the recently concluded Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2010 in Llangollen, Wales. Both choirs delivered world-class performances and won titles in their respective categories. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod started in 1947 and has since attracted thousands of visitors and competitors from around the world.
 

UK Outbound Tourism Badly Hit by Global Recession, but DOT London Rises to the Challenge

Despite the economic turmoil that embroiled Great Britain in 2009, the Department of Tourism (DOT) London Field Office continued to push the Philippines aggressively to the UK and European travel markets. DOT London persisted in implementing project after project despite the crisis, believing that steadfast destination marketing will pay off handsomely once the recession breaks.
 

Philippines featured on BBC Show- Fast:Track

We are pleased to report that BBC World has recently features the Philippines in the special edition of their travel Show "Fast:Track", a tourism program hosted by Carmen Roberts and Rajan Datar. These were aired last 12-15 March 201.
 

British Members of Parliament Hail RP’s Top Bird Sites

Much have been written about the Philippine’s diverse and endemic avian species but to really appreciate the tranquil splendor of bird-watching, one would have to witness the birds’ flight and immerse himself in the rare sightings of nature’s winged masterpiece.

DOT Welcomes British, French Cruise Tourists

The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently received the MS Spirit of Adventure, which brought more than 300 British and French nationals to the country, through its ground handler, Blue Horizons Travel and Tours, Inc.

RP Tourism Gets Boost From Foreign Media

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has lauded the foreign media for the series of positive publicity for the country, particularly the TIME’s travel piece on Manila and CNN’s features on Boracay windsurfing and the Filipino's long Christmas celebration.

Mt. Kitanglad Birdwatching Site Now 28th ASEAN Heritage Park

The Mt. Kitanglad Range Protected Area (MKRPA) has been declared as the 28th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Park.

The pronouncement was recently made at the 11th Annual Meeting of ASEAN ministers of environment where the participants reviewed the region's efforts on a number of issues, particularly those relating to environmental sustainability of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said Wednesday.

The Philippine Eagle Has Landed... On the London Bus!!!

In line with promoting its latest travel product – birdwatching – the Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) is taking it to the busy streets of London this November. Watch out for London’s iconic buses as they carry the Philippines banner across the city.

DOT Takes Flight in London

Anybody who thinks bird watching is, well, for the birds, will probably change his mind after listening to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano praise the merits of this activity and explain why it is a good come-on for visitors to come to the Philippines.

“We Filipinos don’t know how blessed we are in terms of the number of bird species we have in the country. We have 600 bird species, 200 of those endemic,” he says at the launch, last Tuesday, of the country’s latest tourism campaign in London. “The Philippines has the highest concentration of bird species in the world per square kilometer and we didn’t know this until it was pointed out by several bird watching groups.”

Philippine Minister of Tourism on a Wet and Wild Fieldtrip

Philippines Tourism Minister Joseph “Ace” Durano, visited Barnes, London recently along with Deputy Minister Eduardo Jarque, Tourism Attaché, Domingo Ramon “Chicoy” Enerio for a fieldtrip in line with the Philippine birdwatching campaign in the UK and partnership signing with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).

Philippines Makes a Splash in UK Dive Show

"The Philippines has more than 7,100 islands for diving," goes the opening spiel of the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) to visitors of the recently concluded Birmingham Dive Show held at UK’s second largest city.

Top two on the most anticipated dive exhibitions in the world, the Birmingham Dive Show attracts more than 50,000 visitors each year, and 60 exhibitors from the UK and all throughout Europe.

Philippine Luxury Yatch Introduced in UK Dive Show

Renowned British dive yacht operator Worldwide Dive and Sail introduced the S/Y Philippine Siren, its newest and biggest liveaboard vessel, to the European dive market at the recently held Dive Birmingham Show.

Owned and managed by experienced divers and sailors, Mark Shandur, Frank Van Der Linde, Steve Wessel and Brett Robertson, the S/Y Philippine Siren starts sailing in November 2009, covering dive site routes of South Visayas from Mactan to Apo Island, Southern Leyte to Bohol, Boracay via Apo Reef to the wrecks of Coron and Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park.

The New 7 Wonders Update:Puerto Princesa River at No. 1

After dropping down to top 20 last month, the Philippines’ 4 candidates for the New 7 Wonders of Nature are currently showing a strong presence, landing on the top 11 live online ranking of 77 nominees from around the globe. As of September 29 4am, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is at no. 1, Chocolate Hills is at no. 4, closely followed by Tubbataha Reef at no. 5 while Mayon Volcano is at no. 11.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature is an ongoing campaign sponsored by the New 7 Wonders Foundation based in Switzerland. The same group initiated the New 7 Wonders of the World project last year, wherein 7 new sites were officially chosen after a successful poll which posted 100 million international votes.

Imressive Gains for RP Tourism at 2008 Expo Zaragoza

The Philippine Pavilion at the 2008 Expo in Zaragoza, Spain has so far been visited by a massive crowd of 538,845 visitors since the world exposition opened on June 14 this year. July registered the highest number of visitors at 246,938. This represents roughly 20% of the total visitor count to the Expo itself.

The report sent to the Department of Tourism in Manila by the Philippine tourism attaché in London, Domingo Ramon Enerio III, recently appointed by Secretary Joseph Durano as deputy commissioner for the country’s participation at the Zaragoza Expo, highlights the impact of the many marketing innovations that have been implemented since July 14.

Tasting the Philippines Tourist Spots - A Three Generational View from Britain

Article by British Ambassador Peter Beckingham

With friends and relatives representing three generations visiting the Philippines over the holiday season, I have had plenty of opportunities recently to see some of the Philippines' tourist attractions - a welcome change from the inside of Government Departments and company offices! Our visitors' impressions and insights have been overwhelmingly positive although, as with a tourist to any country, they had suggestions how some things might be better.

NAIA-3 To Start Limited International Operations next Month

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 will start servicing international flights next month on a limited basis to pave the way for the facility's full operations next year, officials said yesterday.

This as President Arroyo also said that the opening of NAIA-3 is proof of the government's "resolve and determination to move forward" towards economic progress.

Philippines Tourism Scores In The Sporting Fields

The Philippines has been attracting a lot of attention recently as a world-class tourist destination, not only in travel markets, but also on the playing fields of popular sports such as football and tennis.

Journey in to the Batcave

Batman would be jealous. I'm about to sail down the world's longest navigable underground river which winds its way through a cavernous des res for more than 40,000 bats. They're said to hang from giant rocky pillars in cathedral-sized that make the Batcave look like a tiny bedsit.

Philippines Now a Haven for Adventure and Sports Tourism

More than just its beaches and natural eco-tourism sites, the Philippines is now gaining popularity as a new haven for adventure sports, following its recent hosting of the 2008 World Wakeboard Association (WWA) Wake Park Championships, attended by thousands of athletes and enthusiasts from around the globe.

Experience Philippines in London!

This year marks the 24th anniversary of the highly popular Barrio Fiesta sa London held at Lampton Park, Hounslow. It is the biggest festival of its kind outside The Philippines and the annual celebration of all things Filipino last year attracted over eighty thousand visitors from all over the United Kingdom during the two days.

Adventure Philippines in the Eastbourne International Women's Open

The Philippines Department of Tourism London Field Office is pleased to announce advertisement of its brand new "Adventure Philippines" Campaign at Centre Court during the Eastbourne International Women's Open from 14 - 21 June 2008.

WOW PHILIPPINES in the England vs. Trinidad and Tobago International Football Match

The Department of Tourism London Field Office is pleased to announce advertisement of its well-known "WOW Philippines" campaign during England's football friendly against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, 01 June 2008. The match can be viewed on BBC One at 10:20PM(BST).

Philippines Welcomes Choice Of DMIA As ASEAN Entry Airport

Officials of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) on Saturday welcomed the designation of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here as port of entry in the Philippines once the Asean Open Skies road map is signed this year.
Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza announced last Monday during the Cabinet meeting in Panglao, Bohol province that DMIA will be the port of entry of the country as part of the multilateral agreement with ASEAN member nations, paving the way for an open skies policy in the Southeast Asian Region.

Philippine Budget Carrier Cebu Pacific is World Number 1 in Growth

the Philippines' low-cost carrier, ranked first in terms of passenger carriage growth, according to the Airline Business magazine's May 2008 issue.

CEB was also ranked by the magazine as No. 23 in the world and No. 5 in Asia in total passengers carried in 2007.

Philippine Dive Sites Now Widely Promoted in Spain

The excellent dive sites and facilities in the Philippines were highlighted during the country’s recent participation in Tour Buceo 2008, held in Spain’s capital Madrid as well as Malaga, Murcia, Valencia, Bilbao and Barcelona from April 5 to 12, 2008, according to Philippine Tourism Attaché Domingo Enerio III of the London PDOT office.

Tourism to generate 3.5 million new jobs this year

The local tourism industry is expected to generate over P636 billion in earnings and 3.5 million new jobs this year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported yesterday.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the latest survey done by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that the Philippine tourism industry would add P636.4 billion to the country’s 2008 gross domestic product.

Successful FAM Tour to Boracay and El Nido

Filtravel and Singapore Airlines invited five Danish travel agencies to participate in a FAM tour to the two beautiful destinations Boracay and El Nido from March 5-10, 2008. The FAM tour was a part of Filtravel’s efforts to promote Philippines as an ideal holiday destination in the Scandinavian markets.

Scandinavia: The new buzzword for Pinoy tourism

How does one keep the passion alive? That is the question. It does not happen often in my life that I encounter people who are passionate about what they do or who they are, but when I do I can’t help but admire them. 

Passion is what separates doing work from achieving great accomplishments in life.

Record arrivals from UK and Europe in 2007, more DOT projects set for 2008

A record number of tourists from the United Kingdom visited the Philippines in 2007, with arrivals from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland and Spain registering the highest figures in the entire history of Philippine tourism, reports Tourism Attaché Domingo Enerio III, head of the Philippine DOT office in London.
Overall, tourist arrivals in the Philippines for 2007 rose 8.7 percent from the previous year to a record 3.09 million, as the country positions itself to become a major travel destination in Asia.

RP's natural beauty draws Britons

MANILA, Philippines - Colorful and festive kiping from Lucban, Quezon, bamboos and mini palm trees, dried coconut shells, rattan and abaca chairs, and assorted posters of beaches and adventure destinations were featured in the ingeniously designed Philippine pavilion at the recent World Travel Market (WTM) at Excel Exhibition Center in London.