TPB Achieves ISO 9001:2015 Re-Accreditation

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines once again proves its commitment towards the continuous improvement of its management systems by successfully maintaining its ISO 9001:2015 certification. The audit performed by the Certification International Philippines, Inc. showed that the quality management systems in place at TPB has seen remarkable improvements and discovered no non-conformities in the organization's existing processes on design, development and provision of Philippine tourism marketing and promotions versus the ISO standards. An attached agency of the Department of Tourism, TPB exists to market and promote the Philippines domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism and MICE destination.

Growing Philippine Tourism

The Philippines is once again at the forefront of the global tourism industry with its participation in the World Travel Market (WTM) 2019 in Excel, London.Organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Philippines’ participation was able to generate more than P62 millionbased on partial sales leads gathered or a 35.73% return of investment.

With Korea, China, the US and Japan topping the country’s tourist arrivals, the Philippines’ participation in WTM strengthens the country’s presence in the international tourism and travel arena, particularly Europe and brought it close to its goal of attracting 8.2 million tourists by the end of 2019.

The WTM provided a platform for the Philippine private sector to conduct business-to-business meetings and renew linkages with theirtourism markets around the world.It also enabled TPB and DOT to generate marketing and promotions leads and stay abreast with the latest trends to support its bid to promote the Philippines as the preferred destination.

“The private sector always looks forward to joining WTM,” said DOT Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III. “In fact, the Philippines gets very good tourists arrivals from the UK, with a 10% increase from last year. But our participation is not just about tapping the UK market. Through WTM, which is the Olympic of travel fairs, we are able to tap key travel and tourism markets in Europe and the rest of the world.”

The Philippine delegation was composed of industry partners and stakeholders including DOT-accredited tourism establishments led by Amorita Resorts, El Nido Resorts, Bohol Beach Club, Nature Wellness Village, Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar, Movenpick Resort and Spa Boracay,; travel and tour operators Baron Travel Corporation, Rajah Tours, Annset Holidays, Inc.,Intas Destinations Management, Inc., Travel Experts, Inc. as well as the Clark Development Corporation.

Meanwhile, highlights of the Philippinebooth included ‘slow fashion’featuring the colorful ancestral art of weaving from the province of Kalinga in the island of Luzon, local and bright-colored banig from Basey, Samarand intricate fashion accessories made of agsamfrom the province of Surigao del Sur.

Also making a big splash were the Itogon coffee served all day by no less than top notch baristas Kiddo Cosio and Silvester Samonte of El Union Café and Raoul Peralta of the social enterprise Henry & Sons, as well coffee pairings featuring Pili Latte and Concerva. Award-winning chefs Jam Melchorand Chef Rica Buenaflor also drew huge crowds with their vegan laing, bringhe and adobo.

And proving that Filipinos are world-class entertainers, the crowd was treated to a performance byaward-winning artists of folkloric group La Lira Filipina, headlined byvocalist Princess Virtudazo and violinist and concertmaster Merjohn Lagaya.

Through active participation in global tourism industry events like WTM, TPB is more than optimistic that the Philippines will indeed be the next must-see destination in Asia.

SM Supermalls Launches Travel Adventure with DOT

As part of its Malling is More Fun in the Philippines campaign, SM Supermalls, in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), launched the Juan Fun Adventure at SM City San Lazaro. Through this initiative, mallgoers can “travel” to the country’s most popular destinations without leaving the metro through Instagram-worthy life-size displays called Travel Pods at SM. These picturesque displays will feature the Mayon Volcano in Albay, Calle Crisologo in Vigan, and the Puerto Prinsesa Underground River, among others. Aside from Travel Pods, Juan Fun Adventure will also feature booths with eco-friendly travel essentials, local delicacies and souvenirs. Juan Fun Adventure will run this October 2019 until April 2020 in SM malls nationwide. Photo shows SM Supermalls COO Steven Tan and DOT secretary Berna Romulo Puyat during the launch.

TPB Mounts Biggest International Travel Trade Event in the Philippines for 2019

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is set to boost tourism in the Philippines as it simultaneously mounts the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) and MICE Buyers Invitational (MICECONnect) 2019 on October 20 to 27 to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist destination for both leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibits/Events).

Now on its 18th year, PHITEX is considered to be the biggest travel trade event in the country, with close to 200 sellers and 200 buyers participating. The main highlight of the event is the one and a half day business-to-business (B2B) session between foreign buyers and local sellers to encourage tourism-related discourse among the participants, and open doors for business opportunities.

“PHITEX is mounted annually as a support for stakeholders in the travel trade industry,” says TPB COO Marie Venus Tan. “Instead of working as individual operators and sellers, we provide a platform for them to connect to hundreds of buyers from all over the world in one venue, which saves them precious time and money. The event also gives buyers a more comprehensive view of the different destinations and packages that they can sell to consumers, either as individual or bundled tours.”

Participants also took part in the PHITEX educational seminar where industry leaders discussed new trends in tourism marketing as well as marketing strategies in mature and emerging markets while keeping the theme of “Philippine Tourism: Trailblazing Responsible Travel and Inclusive Growth,” in mind.

Giving their insights were Thomas Graham, Co-Founder of Make A Difference (MAD) Travel, Carlos Mori Rodriguez, the Chief Innovation Officer of EON The Stakeholder Relations Group, and Nelly Nuezca Dillera, CESO III, the Deputy Executive Director of the Philippine Trade Training Center - Global MSME Academy, who ended the seminar on how DTI is building capabilities for halal development and certification."

Meanwhile, MICECONnect 2019, aims to accelerate the Philippine MICE industry by gathering MICE suppliers to showcase the country as a premium destination for international events and conferences.

Happening simultaneously with PHITEX, MICECONnect 2019 is the continuation of a two-year program as a comprehensive educational seminar for local MICE stakeholders to learn new and effective global trends, approaches, and methods. This year’s focus is conducting business networking opportunities to further develop the country’s MICE industry.

MICECONnect 2019 likewise features B2B sessions for Philippine and foreign MICE buyers, and include a hotel and MICE venue inspection. Moreover, MICECONnect delegates will be treated to post-event tours to highlight some of the country's premier MICE destinations including Iloilo City, Bacolod, Davao, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Tagaytay, Manila and Batangas.

More importantly, both PHITEX and MICECONnect 2019 enable TPB to support and raise awareness on sustainable community-based tourism. Apart from promoting what the Philippines can offer, TPB also advocates for the protection of natural assets and expanding the benefits of tourism to communities that are directly and indirectly affected by the industry, consequently helping DOT towards achieving its goals for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To know more about PHITEX and MICECONnect 2019, visit the following websites: https://www.phitex.ph/, https://www.micecon.ph, https://www.tpb.gov.ph/, or https://www.facebook.com/tpbphl/.

Klook Travel Fest 2019!

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – September 2019 - Last September 7 & 8, Klook, the world-leading online booking platform that has revolutionized the way we travel, brought Klook Travel Fest 2019 —the biggest and most out-of-this world travel sale yet at Halls A and D of the World Trade Center.

On its third run, the first and only mobile-led Klook Travel Fest was powered by PLDT Home Fibr, the Philippines' fastest fixed internet. Thanks to this year’s most awaited travel fest, thousands of guests flocked to the World Trade Center with the hopes of booking tours and attractions in their dream travel destinations with the best price guaranteed!

The grandest travel fest yet

By the time gates opened, Klook got ready for takeoff and wowed their early bird attendees with an explosive and out-of-this world deal that allowed people to book with up to Php 6,000 off on any Klook activity!

Global Leaders Ethan Lin (Klook’s CEO and co-founder), Eric Gnock Fah (Klook’s COO and co-founder), Marcus Yong (Klook’s Senior Marketing Director for Southeast Asia), and CS Soong (Klook's General Manager for Southeast Asia) together with the Department of Tourism’s Regional Director for Region 4A Joseph Francisco Ortega, joined forces on stage to formally welcome everyone to Klook Travel Fest 2019!

Since its first ever travel fest in 2018, Klook’s deals, partners, and sponsors doubled in number, which led them to a bigger and out-of-this-world travel fest for 2019! Attendees scored amazing deals from Asia’s most popular attractions and travel services like Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, and Resorts World Sentosa.

With the rise of Klook’s trusted partners, the World Trade Center was jam-packed with thousands of attendees who were all just one click away into having their next vacation!

Shocking deals and attractions

Klook definitely did not disappoint when it comes to the most sought-after deals! Thousands of participants were amazed at how fun, easy, and affordable traveling could be with the help of booking stations, country-themed booths, and beautifully instagrammable areas during the travel fest. What’s even more amazing is that extremely hot deals were announced every half hour during the actual 2-day fest!

The hottest deals included Buy Two, Get One deals in top tourist destinations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and USA. Aside from these incredible offers, guests enjoyed extra discounts on their purchases with Klook's round-the-clock surprises.

Learning the twists and turns of traveling

Klook certainly started this year's out-of-this-world travel fest with amazing surprise discounts and a great line-up of guest speakers. Kapuso star Bea Binene gave a powerful talk about her advocacy on Sustainable and Responsible Tourism that surely opened the minds of many. Binibining Pilipinas Miss Intercontinental 2018 Karen Gallman shared tips on how to make the most out of every trip. Parents had a great time as well as PLDT brought loving couple Edric and Joy Mendoza to share their secrets on how to travel smart with children. Patricia Reyes then talked about being a budget traveler thanks to Klook and Shopback. Travel buds Dominic Roque and Patrick Sugui along with the Singapore Tourism Board showed everyone just how thrilling Singapore adventures can be. And to cap off the day, KPOP fans had a blast as Korean groups Weki Meki and Monsta X joined Klook’s cosmic celebration of their second birthday in the Philippines!

Klook Travel Fest’s second day was just as jam-packed as the first one as well-loved guest speakers graced the event! Team Kramer shared some of their most FAM-tastic travel memories as a family, while aspirational travel couple Jack Morris and Lauren Bullen of Do You Travel gave an eye-opening talk on how to experience different cultures like a local. Next up, Liza Soberano wowed everyone with her never before shared secrets on becoming a globetrotter. Lastly, foodies also got the chance to learn more about the different flavors of the world with Michael Chen of Strictly Dumpling!

Extending the travel fest to everyone

To ensure that everyone got to partake of these great offerings, Klook stayed true to its 2018 promise of bringing the travel fest to Cebu. Satellite stations were put up at the North Wing of SM City Cebu where thousands of travel junkies enjoyed the same deals as that of Manila. Cebuanos definitely had a blast curating their next best travel destination with the best price guaranteed!

“Thousands of Filipinos making their dream vacation happen at Klook Travel Fest 2019 is beyond what we ever imagined for this year! By stepping up this year’s travel fest, we were able to merge both travel and entertainment in one out-of-this-world event, which helped us get one step closer to our goal of making travel seamless, fun, and affordable for everyone. We’re delighted to see everything come to life and we’re beyond grateful to all those who joined and supported us. This is only the beginning and there will definitely be more to look forward to with Klook Philippines!”,said Michelle Cruz, Market Lead of Klook Philippines.

Thanks to Klook, you can explore your dream destinations with affordable, hassle-free, and well-thought out deals that you definitely cannot resist. Be sure to check Klook's official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/klookph/ for more amazing deals and promos in the future.

Get Ready for the Biggest Star-Studded Travel Sale Yet

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – September 2019 - Are you itching to go on your next getaway? If so, there’s good news for you. Klook, the world leading booking platform that has revolutionized the way we travel, is holding Klook Travel Fest 2019 — the biggest and most out-of-this world travel sale yet. Scheduled on September 7-8 at Halls A and D of the World Trade Center, this is the first and only mobile-led travel festival in the country.

Now on its third run, expect bigger and better as this year’s mobile-led Klook Travel Fest is powered by PLDT Home Fibr, the Philippines’ fastest fixed internet, to ensure that guests get uninterrupted access to all the deals. Gush over great deals on the most famous attractions around the world and imagine eye-popping surprises for just about every popular destination you can think of!

Step into the #KlookUniverse for out-of-this-world deals and promos

In line with providing everyone with an out-of-this-world experience, the Klook Travel Fest serves as a universe where travelers can enjoy buy two, take one deals for Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park; Taipei Pass and Taipei 101; Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Pass in Japan; Universal Studios Singapore; Discover Seoul Pass and Everland in Korea. And for the first time ever, you can also enjoy the same deals at Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.

On top of that, you can score up to P15,000 off on your purchases to  Big Bus Hong Kong, Sky 100, Madame Tussauds, and Ngong Ping 360, all in Hong Kong; JR West and Harukas passes in Japan; Resorts World Sentosa and the Wildlife Reserve in Singapore; and Ktourstory in Korea.

You will definitely be amazed at how affordable traveling can be with these deals and promos. Enjoy extra discounts on all your purchases with Klook’s round-the-clock surprises - so be sure to check Klook’s Facebook page for the official schedule!

Curate your next vacation in the most entertaining way

Not only can you get the best price for tours and attractions at Klook Travel Fest, but you can also get entertained while you book for your next vacation. On the first day of the travel fest, KPOP fans will surely barge their way to the World Trade Center as Klook brings Korean groups Monsta X and Weki Meki to celebrate its second birthday in the Philippines.

Travel fest goers have a whole lot more to look forward to as Klook Travel Fest 2019 merges travel and entertainment through various performers, experiential booths, and fun games. Celebrities Liza Soberano, and Team Kramer will also share their tips on how to be a globetrotter and on how to make the most out of family vacations. Youtube content creator Mike Chen of Strictly Dumpling will also impart his broad knowledge on food and world class taste. Last but not least, Lauren Bullen and Jack Morris of Do You Travel will let consumers in on their secrets on how to live like a local!

Klook extends its Travel Fest to Cebu

To ensure that everyone gets to partake of its great offerings, Klook is also taking the Travel Fest to the North Wing of SM City Cebu. Cebuanos no longer have to travel to Metro Manila to get the same exciting deals that people rave about.

Go ahead and make your travel plans happen! Thanks to Klook, you can explore your dream destinations with affordable, hassle-free, and well-thought out deals that you definitely cannot resist.

To join the biggest, and most out of this world Klook Travel Fest 2019, sign up at https://www.klook.com/en-PH/activity/24283-travel-fest-2019-manila/. For more details, you may also check out Klook’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/klookph/.


Founded in 2014, Klook is a world leading travel activities and services booking platform. Klook provides travelers with a seamless way to discover and book popular attractions, tours, local transportation, best foods, and unique experiences around the world on its website and award-winning app (consecutive Best of Year awarded by Google Play and Apple App Store). With Klook’s innovative technologies, travelers can book on-the-go and redeem the services by using QR code enabled e-vouchers. Each day, Klook empowers countless travelers to indulge in their wanderlust and spontaneity through over 100,000 offerings in more than 300 destinations.

With a team of more than 1,000 across over 20 offices worldwide, Klook's services are available in 9 languages, supporting 41 currencies. It has raised over US$520 million investment from world-renowned investors including Sequoia Capital, Softbank Vision Fund, Matrix Partners, Goldman Sachs, and TCV. Get inspired by Klook at www.klook.com, the company blog or @Klook.

CDO to Attract more Domestic Tourists through Regional Travel Fair

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), will expand its domestic footprint with the commencement of the 5th Regional Travel Fair (RTF) in the City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan de Oro.

Supported by the Local Government Units (LGUs) of Northern Mindanao, the RTF aims to promote and strengthen domestic tourism by encouraging travelers to discover more of the Philippines year-round.

Around 100 participants from different travel trade sectors, government agencies, and exhibitors, including local travel and tour agencies, hotels, resorts, and airline operators, are expected to be onboard at the Limketkai Center from August 23-24to showcase the best of the Philippines.
The RTF program includes a 2-day business-to-consumer (B2C) expo wherein exhibitors shall offer exclusive and affordable tour packages that will ultimately increase the volume of domestic travellers around the country. Additionally, a half-day travel exchange (TRAVEX) table-top session will take place for participating buyers and sellers to generate direct sales and business leads, meet new partners and renew deals.

TPB supports Get Global Exhibition in Australia

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), as part of its strategic thrust to strengthen its Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) campaign, supports Get Global – Where the World Meets, an industry exhibition in Australia at the International Convention Center (ICC) Sydney.

Launched in 2017, Get Global has become a reputable platform that connects international MICE suppliers with buyers, including corporate meeting planners, incentive houses and professional conference organizers (PCO), and has been recognized as "Exhibition of the Year" by Meetings & Events Australia for two consecutive years.

With the assistance of DOT Sydney, the Philippines was promoted to Australia's outbound MICE market with increased exposure through Get Global's digital platforms as well as through unlimited face-to-face quality meetings within the one-day event. Participation in the event also generated new leads, established relationships, and explored new networks of contacts for the expansion of the Philippine MICE market, especially among senior buyers in Australia and New Zealand.

Australia is one of the Philippines’ top tourism markets and the month of April this year saw a 13.41 percent increase in tourist arrivals from Down Under. With improved connectivity between Sydney and Manila arising from new and increasing flights, more Australian visitors are expected to keep the upward trend sustained.

TPB Intensifies Efforts to Increase Chinese Tourist Arrivals

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, recently joined ITB China which took place in Shanghai as part of its initiative to capture a bigger chunk of 129 million Chinese tourists travelling abroad in the past two years.
In 2017, about 960,000 Chinese tourists visited the country and more than 1.2 million in 2018. TPB hopes to increase Chinese tourist arrivals through its active and consistent participation in ITB China, the largest and fastest growing source market in the travel industry. For 2019, the event had an estimated 15,000 attendees, and approximately 800 exhibitors from 84 countries and 850 buyers from the biggest Chinese travel companies.

This year, the Philippines targets hitting 1.5 million Chinese traveler arrivals and an additional increase of 19.5% by 2022 upon completion of all tourism development plans, which will highlight all the natural wonders of the country.

The travel and tourism sector remains to be one of the important drivers in the country’s economic growth. It continues to create jobs and boost real estate with the influx of foreign and domestic travelers increasing demand for new properties, specifically hotels and resorts.
Through the ITB China, TPB amplified awareness on the country’s beautiful destinations and many offerings with booth activities that put spotlight on why “It’s more fun in the Philippines!”

A country made up of more than 7,000 islands consisting of beautiful pristine beaches, home to some of the most expansive shopping centers in the world, and offering a dozen of adventure-laden activities, the Philippines is, without a doubt, more than ready to open its doors for more foreign visitors.

TPB Boosts Efforts to Attract Korean Tourists

To boost efforts in attracting Korean tourists to visit the Philippines, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, will be participating in two major travel fairs happening in South Korea—The Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) on 06 to 10 June 2019 and HanaTour International Travel Show on 07 to 09 June 2019.

KOTFA is the biggest international travel fair in Korea with the participation of both international and domestic tourism-related organizations. This year, KOTFA is expected to generate an attendance of approximately 500 companies and 70 countries. The Philippines reserved six (6) booth spaces to be shared with airlines, hotels and top Korean travel agents in Seoul.

Meanwhile, HanaTour is Korea’s largest tour wholesaler with 1,200 HanaTour exclusive sales offices selling 14,000 tourism products through its 7,000 partners across the globe. This year, the Philippines is the featured country, co-marketing and promoting with HanaTour from June to July 2019, with multiple online and offline activities. The Philippines will also have eight (8) booth spaces at the event to help retail agencies aggressively sell and promote Philippine tour products, and provide general information about the country to the public.

South Koreans make up a huge portion of tourists visiting the Philippines annually, sharing approximately 22.3% of 1,587,959 visitors in 2018. TPB aims to increase Korean visitor arrivals by 25.80% upon completion of all tourism development plans by 2022, which will highlight the natural wonders of the Philippines.

As the country strengthens its campaign “It’s more fun in the Philippines” Korean tourists will get to choose from many offerings such as its beautiful pristine beaches, expansive shopping centers, dozens of adventure-laden activities, and the renowned warm hospitality of the Filipinos.

4th Regional Travel Fair Pushes for Domestic Tourism

Spearheaded by the revitalized Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the 4th Regional Travel Fair in Clark, Pampanga recently concluded with a wide range of activities such as business-to-business sessions, a two-day business-to-consumer exhibit, forums and pre-event tours to further increase nationwide domestic tourist arrivals while promoting sustainable tourism in private-public initiatives and programs. The four-day travel fair highlighted two main events: business-to-consumer exposition attended by hundreds of travel enthusiasts, and participated in by the biggest tour operators and local tourism officers in the country to market their special travel deals and promos; and the business-to-business travel exchange that enabled participating buyers and sellers to network and discuss investment opportunities to generate leads and sales. Present during the opening ceremony were (L-R) DOT Region 10 director Marie Elaine Unchuan, TPB Domestic Department OIC Nerissa Juan, Philippine Airlines Luzon Station area head Christopher Lebumfacil, TPB Corporate Affairs Sector acting deputy chief operating officer Joselito Gregorio, Cebu Pacific sales director Agnes Gupalor, and TPB Domestic Promotions – Sales Division OIC Cesar Villanueva.

Pampanga to Host TPB Regional Travel Fair

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) 4th Regional Travel Fair will be held at SM City in Clark, Pampanga on April 4-7, 2019, highlighting domestic tourism in the country.

Expected to draw over 100 participants from the travel trade sector, government agencies and local government units (LGUs), the four-day fair will include a two-day consumer expo featuring exciting travel deals, special fares, exclusive discount packages and promos offered by exhibitors composed of domestic tour, hotels, resorts, and airlines operators.

A travel exchange (TRAVEX) session will also take place for participating buyers and sellers to network and discuss business opportunities and generate leads and sales.

The TPB Regional Travel Fair aims to further strengthen domestic tourism in the country and encourage more and more Filipinos to explore and discover the beauty of the Philippines

Japan Airlines Offers Round-Trip Flights to Tokyo with Year-end Ticket Sale

Japan Airlines’ special fares for all Tokyo bound flights comes at the perfect time as travelers prepare for their 2019 trips. With over 10 non-working holidays in the first half of the year, Filipino travelers will be glad to know that they can start filing their leaves to visit Japan either for winter or their famed spring blossom season for discounted fares.

Tickets go on sale from December 11, 2018 until January 10, 2019 with a travel period of December 11, 2018 to July 31, 2019. Prices are as lows as USD 320 for Economy Class, USD 699 for Premium Economy (applicable only to flight JL742/Narita), and USD 1099 for Business Class.

Apart from Narita, the Japanese flag carrier also launched its newest route from Manila to Tokyo via Haneda which is the only flight that allows passengers leaving from Manila to arrive in Japan early in the morning. With JAL's newest flight route, this allows travelers to make the most of their stay by ensuring they don't lose a day when travelling effectively.

Japan Airlines Philippines’s General Manager, Mr. Chikara Mochihara expressed his excitement over seeing more Filipino travelers heading over to Japan. “With the Japanese government’s effort to boost repeat visitors in the country, we’ve seen more Filipinos acting on their desire to visit Japan as we welcomed the moe than 400,000 tourists from the Philippines in 2017. As the flag carrier, we are very proud to be part of the Filipino tourist’s journey as we extend the Japanese experience from the moment you step on board to the moment you arrive in Japan.”, said Mochihara.

For more booking and sale guidelines, visit Japan Airlines’ website.