The Department of Tourism is working to enhance the quality of the tourism environment along seven key areas, including strengthening infrastructure, connectivity and diversity. All this makes the Philippines an increasingly attractive destination for leisure and business travel.
Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, chief operating officer of the Philippine Tourism Promotion Agency, said there has been a significant uptick in travel that combines business and leisure as COVID-19 restrictions have eased. More and more people like to stop at a destination after attending an exhibition or business conference to explore more local leisure and sightseeing resources to maximize the value of overseas travel itineraries. Especially when education can be done remotely, adults can take their children on business trips and spend more family time together. The concept of leisure business travel is not new, but it is only recently that the demand has really risen to become an essential element of business travel. At the same time, the global market is now tending to host more and more offline physical business meetings. Business convention clients' interest in group gatherings and large events has surged in the post-pandemic market as companies recognize the importance of employees meeting offline for increased productivity, shared culture, and reduced attrition, as well as a desire for physical interaction with others.
She noted that the Philippine Tourism Department has put forward seven priorities to promote the development of the Philippine tourism market, including strengthening infrastructure and convenience, digital upgrading, optimizing tourism experience, equalizing tourism product development and promotion, making products more diversified, expanding the domestic market, and strengthening tourism management through local governments. On this basis, the Philippine Tourism Promotion Authority hopes to expand strongly into the leisure and business travel market.
The Philippines is currently optimizing its ports of entry to showcase the unique Filipino culture that incoming tourists will experience, while the Philippine Tourism Board is in talks with Philippine Airlines and other international airlines to actively promote the number of international flights to the Philippines and strengthen the domestic route network. Philippine Airlines has just launched flights to Cebu and Baguio, providing a new gateway to two premium destinations. Eva Air also launched a new route between Taipei and Clark at the end of last month, providing more convenience for long-haul travelers. These transportation improvements will allow leisure and business travelers who want to stay in the Philippines to easily visit more destinations at the end of their business trips. In addition, the Philippine Tourism Board is improving its APP to allow travelers to explore transportation options, as well as a document manager, a certified transaction platform, and more to make their trip smoother.
Philippines strengthens Internet connectivity to build business travel service brand
As the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands, the challenge of enhancing connectivity has been greater; But the introduction of more sophisticated telecommunications technology and competition in the marketplace has now led to greater connectivity between the islands, making many of the new digital nomad destinations such as Bataan, La Union, Ilogos, Cebu, Clark, Iloilo, Davao popular with creatives and remote workers. Online and hybrid meeting activities are now available anywhere in the Philippines.
The Philippine government is also stepping up efforts to build quality rest areas and clean toilets, as well as improving the skills of tour operators to build Philippine service brands and make visitors feel the hospitality of the Philippines. Health, island resorts, cultural heritage, and business hubs are important resources for business travelers, and with the goal of making products more diversified, accessible and sustainable in the Philippines, leisure and business travelers are now able to explore new destinations after the conference and embark on a tour that is integrated with the local community and culture. Make the whole trip richer, greener and deeper.
In 2022, the Philippines received 2.6 million international visitors. In the first quarter of 2023, the Philippines received 1.3 million international tourists, and this year's target of 4.8 million is likely to be exceeded by the end of the year. It is worth noting that the Philippine Department of Transportation is actively promoting the e-visa policy to address the bottleneck of tourism marketing in the Philippines. Among them, the introduction of e-visa for the crucial Chinese market is a top priority.
