The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Philippines will chair and host this year’s meetings of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), starting with the 45th ASEAN Tourism Forum scheduled from January 28 to 31 in Cebu.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said it has been collaborating closely with the Cebu provincial government, especially with the Cebu City Tourism Commission, and other national government agencies.
DOT’s preparations for the 45th ASEAN Tourism Forum – with the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together” – include cultural and heritage activities for delegates.
DOT’s Central Visayas office has started implementing Project HARANA (Hosting Asean with Readiness, Agility, Nationalism, and Authenticity), an intersectoral program trains volunteers, tour guides, tourist drivers, students, faculty members, and event organizers for ATF 2026.
The initiative integrates the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE), refresher courses for DOT-accredited tour guides, seminars for tourist drivers as frontline workers, and modular training on reception protocol, safety, site management, and destination interpretation.
Along with the scheduled Tourism Ministers’ meetings, ATF 2026 also features the Asean Travel Exchange (Travex), a business platform designed for Asean buyers and sellers to connect and explore a diverse range of destination products and services. Travex will be held at the just completed Mactan Expo Center, owned by Megaworld Corp.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said, “As we prepare for the Asean Tourism Forum 2026, we are confident in the Philippines’ readiness to welcome our neighbors with excellence and warmth.”
“Through this milestone event, we aim to showcase the Filipino brand of hospitality while strengthening regional cooperation and building a resilient, competitive tourism industry for the future,” she added.
The DOT has been trying to attract more foreign tourists to Cebu, from where Frasco hails. Like the rest of the Philippines, the province has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic arrivals.