Travel and Tourism

During the recent two-day state visit of Vietnam President To Lam, a three-year Tourism Cooperation Program was signed by Philippine Tourism Secretary Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay and Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, aimed at boosting tourism traffic between the two countries. Pres. To Lam and Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the program signing, covering the …

Capt. Stanley K. Ng, past president and chief operating officer of flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has reportedly been appointed Undersecretary at the Department of Tourism (DOT). Capt. Ng is a licensed PAL pilot and currently Vice President of PAL Holdings Inc., the flag carrier’s parent unit. Ng will replace Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar, DOT Undersecretary of Halal Tourism and Muslim …

A new world-class passenger lounge at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was recently opened, designed for shared use by different international carriers in order to optimize the airport’s limited space, according to airport operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC). The 2,600-square-meter First Meridian Lounge forms part of NNIC’s effort to repurpose offices and underutilized areas into …

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) clarified that the Metro Rail Transit Line-7 (MRT-7) will have 14 stations along its alignment, including a station at San Jose del Monte (SJDM) in Bulacan, in response to false claims that last station (SJDM) has been dropped. DOTr said MRT-7 – being built by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) – is still scheduled to begin …

AirAsia Philippines finally paid its P271.94 million debt to government, averting suspension of its operations. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed the payment but noted the funds will be subject to standard reconciliation processes. CAAP earlier warned that failure to pay would force the government regulator to halt the airline’s operations including all flights, business activities and …

The country’s two flagship railway projects have generated at least 30,000 jobs for Filipinos, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr). The 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) employs 21,031 Filipinos, while the 33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) has hired 10,122 local workers. DOTr has been using mega infrastructure projects to create jobs and address unemployment in the communities along …

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is currently searching for new funding sources and updating the feasibility study for the long-delayed Mindanao Railway Project. DOTr Undersecretary for railways Timothy John Batan said the agency recently formed a joint working group with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) to advance discussions on the project. “We established a joint working group together with MinDA. …

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) recently opened a free parking facility at its Legarda Station to encourage vehicle owners to use public transportation. The free parking is available for LRT-2 passengers from 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis, complementing LRTA’s first free parking facility at Santolan Station opened last April 21. To use the service, …

Despite the global fuel crisis, Philippine aviation emerged as fastest growing in Southeast Asia for April, according to global travel data provider OAG. OAG’s aviation market data indicated that the Philippines is now the third largest country in the region in terms of flight capacity, with 5.82 million seats recorded in April. The Philippines follows Indonesia at 10.31 million and …

Air fares will remain high in the first half of May after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) set fuel surcharge at Level 18, slightly lower than the near-maximum rates imposed in late April. Under Level 18, airlines are allowed to impose fuel surcharge in their tickets from P593 to P1,734 for domestic flights, and from P1,958.44 to P14,561.87 for international …