5.36M

306.58B

4.98M

Tourist Arrivals

Pesos InboundExpenditures

Tourism-related
Jobs

Source: Arrival/Departure Cards, Philippine Tourism Satellite Accounts(PTSA) (((PSA)

TOURIST ARRIVALS
Breaching the 5M foreign arrival mark forthe first time in the country’s history,
tourism performance in terms of arrivals
grew by 10.91% reaching 5,360,682
visitors by the end of 2015, a 10.91%
growth from 4,833,368 in 2014. Korea isthe top visitor-generating market with
1,339,678 tourists – the largest count froma single market to date. This market
constituted 25% of all arrivals andregistered a double digit increment of
13.97% compared to the previous year’
arrivals of 1,175,472. The United States ofAmerica contributed the 2nd biggest influx of
tourist arrivals with 779,217 visitors
registering a 7.81 % increase from lastyear’s arrivals of 722,750 and accounted
for a 14.54 % of the total visitor arrivals.
Occupying the 3rd spot was Japan with
495,662 visitors and shared 9.25% of thetotal. This market grew by 6.88% comparedto the 463,744 arrivals it generated in 2014.
China with 490,841 visitors occupied the
4th spot which accounted for a 9.16 % of
total arrivals and posted the largest growthamong the top tourist markets with a24.28% increase compared to its previous
year’s arrivals of 394,951.

The 5th major inbound market was Australia
with 241,187 arrivals comprising a 4.5%
share of the total arrivals.
Completing the top ten visitor markets are
Singapore with 181,176 arrivals, Taiwan
with 177,670 arrivals grew by 24.27 % fromits previous year’s arrivals, Canada with
156,363 arrivals, Malaysia with 155,814
arrivals, and United Kingdom with 15.65%
growth providing 154,589 arrivals.
TOURIST RECEIPTS
In terms of income, the Philippines hasreached an unprecedented Php 306.58
billion in inbound expenditures. This
amount is 2.8% higher than the 2014
earnings amounting to Php 276.89 billion.
The average daily expenditure for 2015 isestimated at Php 4,888.82, while theaverage per capita expenditure isestimated at Php 48,350.44. The average
length of stay of tourists in the country forthe year is recorded at 9.89 nights. Korea
remains as the top spending market withvisitor spending amounting to Php 66.55
billion, followed by the USA with Php 42.31
billion expenditures, Australia ranked 3rd by
providing Php 12.83 billion while Japan1

accounted for Php 12.20 billion to take the
4th spot. Completing the top five spending
markets is China with visitor spending of
Php 10.19 billion.

On Ecotourism, the Department hasdeveloped
and
implemented
theecotourism programs and projects basedon the National Ecotourism Strategy andAction Plan (NESAP) 2013-2022 which
include the conduct of Ecotour Package
Development Workshop for Balinsasayao
Twin Lakes Natural Park and Bataan
Natural Park and site validation of Baler
Ecostrip as possible ecotourism modelsite.

TOURISM EMPLOYMENTFor 2015, there were 4.982 million workers
directly employed in the tourism industry
which is estimated to account for 12.7% of
the total employed population in the
country.
Of
thistotal,
passenger
transportation is the leading sector with
1.792 million trailed closely by theaccommodation, food and beverage sector
with 1.734 million in employment.

Forcommunity-based
tourismdevelopment,
theDepartment
has
redeveloped and enhanced the National
Homestay Program to provide quality
touristexperience,andpromotesustainable tourism to benefit the guests aswell as the homestay owners from Baler,
Siquijor, and Kiangan with its second dryrun.

TOURISM PLANNING AND PRODUCTDEVELOPMENTThe DOT has completed the Tourism
Guidebook for Local Government Units(LGU) which is a tool that guides LGU’s informulating tourism plans. This undertaking
is a joint effort with the Department ofInterior and Local Government, Departmentof Environment and Natural Resources,
and the Development Academy of thePhilippines
and
their
consultants.
The guidebook also contains templates andforms which the LGUs can pattern theirplans after. For 2015, OrientationWorkshops on Tourism Guidebook wereconducted at the provinces of Aklan,
Masbate, Palawan, Ilocos Sur, and at the
National Capital Region.

Tourism Working Group (APEC-TWG) Meeting
held last May17-18, 2015 in Boracay

As part of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) Hosting of thePhilippines, a conference was held in
Boracay, Philippines, on 19 May 2015
which tackled the issues of taxation in the
tourism and travel industry. A study was
also pursued by the APEC Tourism
Working
Group(TWG)
entitled“An Assessment of the Role of Taxation in
Promoting Travel and Tourism Growth in
the APEC Region”. This study was
conducted in partnership with the private
sector represented by the World Travel andTourism Council (WTTC). It aims to assess

For Cruise tourism, the DOT conducted
port inspections in preparation for theformulation of Cruise Tourism Strategy.
To increase the number of cruise ship callsin the Philippines by cruise lines in all
categories, a Cruise Tourism Development
Strategy Workshop was conducted topromote an increase in the sea-boundnumber of tourists to thecountry and as well as theirspending ashore.
2the impact of current taxation measures aswell as their modifications/ changes
overtime in relation to travel and tourism
demand, revenues and job growth inparticipating APEC economies; evaluate
the comparative position of taxation levelsin the travel and tourism industry against
taxes imposed on the other key sectors inparticipating APEC economies to ensure
fair and equitable treatment of taxation
across industries in the region; anddetermine the degree of inhibition toregional economic integration and growthby taxation policies.

tourism industry stakeholders. The Forumalso shared best practices in the ASEAN
region in Gender responsive tourism
particularlyinpromotinggreaterparticipation of women in leadership anddecision making in the tourism sector.

ASEAN Plus Three Tourism Youth Summit
participants at the South Palms Resort, Panglao,
Bohol

The Philippine Department of Tourism wasalso the proud host to the ASEAN Plus
Three (China, Japan and Korea) Tourism
Youth Summit 2015 held last September
28 to October 03,2015 at the South Palms
Resort in Panglao, Bohol and at theRadisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City.

Participants from ASEAN Member States posedwith Asst. Secretary Cañizal (far left), Tourism
Secretary Jimenez, Jr. (6th from left), Philippine
Commission for Women Exec.Dir. Emmeline
Versoza(5th from right) during the Forum.

This program is a component of theASEAN Plus Three Tourism Cooperation
Work Plan 2013-2017 adopted during the12th Meeting of ASEAN, China, Japan and
ROK Tourism Ministers in January 2013 inVientiane, Lao. The Philippines together
with Thailand were selected as the leadcountry coordinators on the convening of
the ASEAN Plus Three Tourism Students
Summit. From 2013 to 2014, Thailand washost to the said Youth Summit and it was
the Philippines’ turn to host in 2015.

It was also the Philippines’ pride to hostthe First ASEAN Gender and Development(GAD) Forum on Tourism
held onSeptember 8-9,2015 at Diamond Hotel,
Manila, with the theme: Improving Women
Empowerment in Tourism: Women’s
Initiative in Decision and Policy Making.
Participants were representatives from theASEAN, China, Japan and Korea National
Tourism Organizations (NTOs) and ASEAN
Ministry Office in charge of Gender andDevelopment as well as representatives
fromvariousgovernment
agencies, Tourism industry
associations, academe, local
government units and other

With the theme: “Building the Future
through Culture, Identity and Community”,
the Summit provided awareness among theyouth participants about the ASEAN
initiativesand
ASEAN
Economic
Community. Likewise, the youth were able3

to establish camaraderie, cultural exchange
and shared knowledge on issues related to
culturalpreservation,
environmental
protection and socio-economic growth.

24 to 26, 2015. Some of the favorite local
chefs and Michelin-starred Spanish chefs
participated in this event. The conduct offood tours and tastings, roving food trucks
were likewise all part of the said event.

A total of forty two (42) participants
representing nine (9) ASEAN member
countries including Japan were able toexperienceadventure,
cultureandecotourism product offerings of Bohol andCebu such as visits to the Chocolate Hills
and Philippine tarsier and wildlife
sanctuary, Loboc river cruise and tree
planting at Bohol Biodiversity Complex. The
group was also treated to a city tour andvisit to the University of San Carlos, one ofthe oldest university in the country.

MTV Music Evolution Banner displayed at thevenue, Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila

Another banner activity under the Visit thePhilippines Year 2015 campaign was the
MTV Music Evolution Manila 2015 held at
the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila
last May 2015. The event, a first of its kind,an international musical concert showcased
the evolution of music genre sounds thatwas telecast live to an international
audience of over 300 million in 160
countries. The musical concert also
featured iconic and contemporary hip hop
artists from both international and local
music scenes who performed on a single
stage.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. during
Madrid Fusion 2015 held at the Mall of Asia

MARKETING
2015 is “Visit the Philippines Year!” andpart of this year’s festivities is the famed
Madrid Fusión Manila which showcased
Spanish and Filipino chefs in a worldwide
culinary stage as they celebrate 300 yearsof shared history through food. Madrid
Fusion which featured three exciting events
namely the International Gastronomy
Congress, Trade Exhibition and Flavors of
the Philippines Festival washeld at the SMX Convention
Center, Pasay City from April
4

In addition, there were a series ofunderwaterphotographyandcinematography
workshops,
marineconservation and technical diving seminarconducted by international experts.
A photo gallery with over 100 underwaterphotographs taken by several of thecountry’s top professional underwaterphotographers and cinematographers were
exhibited during the event.
DOT Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon, Jr.
gives the welcome remarks during the Grand
Opening Ceremony of the DRT Philippines Show2015 at SM Mega Mall, Ortigas, Manila

DIVE
After making waves in Beijing, HongKong,
Shanghai and Taiwan, it is now thePhilippines’ chance to host Dive Resort
Travel (DRT) Show, considered the largest
international dive expo in Asia Pacific in
partnership with LX Development Group(LXDG), owner of the DRT Show franchise.
With the theme “It’s More Fun To Dive in
the Philippines”, the three-day dive fair
was held at SM Megatrade, SM Mega Mallin Mandaluyong City lastSeptember
11-13, 2015 which gathered a total of 4,569
participants composed of dive exhibitors,
diveenthusiasts
andmarineconservationists.

Visitors to the DRT Philippines Show flock to theUnderwater Photo Gallery to view underwaterphotos taken in the Philippines by top
underwater photographers

ROUTE DEVELOPMENT
To strengthen the Philippines’ position as
the central hub and multiple gateway
destination in Southeast Asia, theDepartment has embarked on routedevelopment initiatives to improve airaccess to the country. As a member of thePhilippine Air Negotiating Panel, theDepartment has actively participated in air
talks with the following countries:
Singapore, Taiwan, Oman, Australia,
Mexico, Qatar, Turkey, Russia and Korea
toincrease
air
seat
entitlements.
The Department conducted networking
activities with route planners from Taipei,

During the event, several activities were
lined up to include an exhibition ofinternational and local dive companies
which showcased their latest dive products,
equipment,
andresorts/destinations.
Likewise, a Dive Travel Exchange orbusiness to business (B2B) meeting wasorganized to provide opportunities for the
local dive tour operators to network withforeign buyers from source markets suchas China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia,
United Kingdom, Germany and the UnitedStates.

5

Taiwan to assess possible direct flightsfrom Kalibo and Cebu. Route development
support was also provided to charter
operators from China for the Xiamen toLegazpi,
GuangzhoutoLaoag
and Guangzhou to Cebu flights; and thePhilippine Airlines’ new flight from Port
Moresby (Papua New Guinea) to Manila.
The Department actively participated inRoutes Asia 2015 held in Kunming, China
last March 15-17, 2015. During the said
event, a hand over ceremony was heldfrom China to the Philippines as the next
host of the Routes Asia 2016. The country
has three (3) booths represented by the
Department of Tourism, Mactan-Cebu
International Airport and Clark International
Airport. The Department also attended theWorld Routes 2015 held in Durban,
KwaZulu-Natal,
South
Africalast
September 19-22, 2015 to promote theinternational gateways of the country, tonetwork with airline route planners anddevelopers as well as to promote thecountry’s hosting of Routes Asia 2016 in
Manila. The Philippines was among thefinalists for the most prestigious World
Routes Marketing Awards together withother destinations such as Ireland,
Hungary, Tenerife, Australia, and Las
Vegas of which the overall winner was won
by Ireland.

Philippine Delegation led by Dir. Verna
Buensuceso, (3rd from left) Head of the Market
Development Group (MDG)
posedat thePhilippine Booth during the Routes Asia 2015
held in China last March 2015.

ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE
To continuously develop the interest for thePhilippines as a Learn English destination,
the DOT actively participated in ten (10)travel fairs in identified source markets;
Korea’s Study Abroad and Emigration
Fairs, Begin Lingua Fair (Russia), JATA
Tourism Expo 2015 and ESL Long Stay
Fairs (Japan), Education Expo 2015
(Beijing and Shanghai).
For the first time, the DOT participated in
Thailand’s
Officeof
Civil
ServiceCommission(OCSC)
International
Education Expo.

Likewise, in preparation for the Philippine
hostingofRoutesAsia
2016
the Department conducted the Training on
the Fundamentals of Route Development
for the Philippine organizing team and routedevelopment stakeholders.

The Department further showcased theprograms and facilities of Philippine ESL
schools during consumer activities such as
the ESL Spring Fair in Tokyo, ESL Autumn
Roadshows in Fukuoka, Osaka andNagoya, Japan and the first Study in thePhilippines Exhibition held in Taipei,
TaichungandKaohsiung,Taiwan.
The agent’s familiarization trips were alsoorganized for partners to better appreciate
our local ESL schools in Manila and Cebu.

6

Likewise, to further improve our Philippine
ESL products, the Department conductedsite inspection of local ESL schools locatedin Cavite to assess and ensure thatfacilities, services and qualifications ofteachers
meetthequalification
requirements of the ESL market. The DOT
also partnered with the British Council toconduct a demo of the Teaching
Knowledge Test (TKT) with ESL teachers
in Baguio and Cebu.

ranking, the Philippines came out 8th for
medical tourism attractiveness.
The Department of Tourism, in partnershipwith the other members of the Technical
Working Group (TWG) composed of the
Department of Trade and Industry-Board of
Investment (DTI-BOI), Department of
Health (DOH) and with the private sector
stakeholders
hascompleted
theHealthcare Services for Medical Travel andWellness Tourism Industry Roadmap toensure sustainability of the industry as itprovides services to medical travelers
seeking healthcare in the country andmeeting the global standard in patient
safety and quality healthcare.
To ensure the continuity of the program for
medical travel, the DOT organized theWorkshop dubbed 1st Convenor’s Meetingon Healthcare Services for Medical Travel
and Wellness Tourism Industry Roadmap

ESL Autumn Roadshow in Osaka

MEDICALTRAVELAND

participated by the members of the TWG,
internationally accredited hospitals in Metro
Manila and Cebu. After having identified
the formation of clusters, leadership

WELLNESSTOURISMThe Philippines ranked 8th among the top
medical tourism destinations in the world in2015, according to
Healthcare Researchcouncil,datacollection
branding,
international patient pathway or (IPP) andthe International
Center and themarket development, the workshop initiatedthe implementation of the Action Plan asrecommended in the Industry roadmap.

Medical Tourism Association (MTA). MTA
is a global non-profit association for
medical tourism and the international
patient industry that represents healthcare

To sustain our presence among our key
targeted market development areas, suchproviders,
governments,
insurancecompanies, employers and other buyers ofas the US and Middle East, the DOT
participated in the 8th World Medical

healthcare. This was based on a study
where
the
Philippines
had
been

Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress
held in the USA in September 2015 and in

overwhelmingly mentioned as the results
were retrieved, even as thecountry was not included in theearlier survey.
After force-

the International Medical Travel Exhibition
and Conference (IMTEC) held in Dubai in
October 2015.
7

TOURISM
TRAININGS

Likewise, as a result of the Philippines’
continued presence in the international
medical travel shows, the medical tourism
fam tour and medical travel exchange wereconducted and participated in by foreign
buyers.

STANDARDSANDThe Office of Tourism Standards andRegulation and Office of Industry
Manpower Development have continuously
provided support to industry stakeholders incapacity development and training courses.

With the immediate objective of increased
participation of other stakeholders andinternational gateways, product audits of
Cebu-based
internationallyaccredited
hospitals, facilities such as Perpetual
Succour, Chong Hua, and Cebu Doctor’s
Hospitals were conducted which led to their
inclusion in the Philippine medical tourism
program.

A total of 137 training sessions wereconducted that benefitted 5,867 individuals
by equipping them with the skills, proper
awarenessandenhancing
their
competitiveness in their fields. Several
training programs for various tourism
stakeholders were conducted for the year
to include: Train the Trainers for Tour
Guides, Ecotourism awareness for Quirino
Province executives, Eco Guiding, EcoCultural
Community
Tour
Guides.
Seminars for tourist drivers and kalesa
drivers of Intramuros were conducted totrain them as guides and tourism
frontliners. Likewise, to train the police on
tourism awareness, crisis management,
tourist safety and security, the seminar fornational Tourist Oriented Police forCommunity
OrderandProtection(TOPCOP) was conducted. Other trainings
completed were:effective customer
service for NAIA partners, micro tourism
retail and Filipino professional therapist
seminar, Kulinarya training, food andbeverage handling seminar for DOT
personnel,
tourismawarenessandcapability building seminar for LGUs, andearthquake preparedness seminar among
others.

To keep abreast on the current trends inglobal medical travel and wellness tourism,
the DOT undertook the conduct of researchand networking with key industry players on
medical travel and wellness tourism.

International Medical Travel Exhibition and
Conference (IMTEC) held in Dubai in October
2015.

8

and (4) developed and piloted the New‘Mabuhay’ Accommodation Standards on
28 enterprises and trained 50 DOT
Assessors.
FortheTourism
Industry
SkillsDevelopment,
final
reportontheimplementation of Phase 1 of the Industry
Skill Grant Scheme was already completed.

PNP participants attending the Seminar fornational Tourist Oriented Police for Community
Order and Protection (TOPCOP)

Further, the ADB-Canada Improving
Competitiveness inTourism Philippines(TA-8334 PHI) is still on-going. It is aprojectof the Asian Development Bank with the
Department of Tourism as its implementing
agency and funded by Government of
Canada. It is part of the increasing
competitiveness for inclusive growth which
has commenced last November 2013.

National Master Trainers and Master Assessors
Training on Front Office Operations held at Subic
Park Hotel last July 2015

The said Project is a capacity building
intervention to support regulatory review
and reform, raise tourism and hospitality
service and accommodation standards, anddevelop skills to support growth. It includes:
a. Regulatory Impact Assessment whichanalyzes survey findings for input to
RIAwork plan and reform of tourism-related
license project to which the analysis of thebusiness license and permits survey report
was already completed; b. for Hotel andResort Quality Assurance and Accreditation
System, the Department (1) assessed 700
establishments wherein 141 of those wereassessed in 4 pilot regions such as in
Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, and Davao;(2) developed and piloted the Services
Hospitality Efficiency Food Friendliness(SHEFF) Standards; (3) Trained 75 DOT
Assessors and 25 Third Party
Assessors on the New National
Accommodation
Standards;

The Department of Tourism, with technicalassistance from Asian Development Bankand Government of Canada has developed
and produced a Manual on Regulatory
Impact Assessment (RIA). It aims toprovide guidance in institutionalizing RIA
program within the DOT and its attachedagencies, as a mechanism to ensure awell-crafted tourism-related regulation.
Under the RIA, the Department hascompleted five (5) Regulatory Impact
Statements (RISs) including: (a) Rules andRegulations Governing the Conduct ofSports Scuba Diving in the Philippines;(b) Cost Recovery of Hotel Accreditation
Fees; (c) Simplification of Travel Tax
Administration; (d) Guidelines on Marine
Wildlife
TourismInteractions;and(e) Review of Special Residents Retirement
Visa Application Fee.
9

The DOT also conducted series of RIA
seminars with 87 participants from DOT
and attached agencies as well as trainings
with 350 local government officials from
Cebu, Bohol, Davao, and Palawan. Focus
group discussions with scuba diving
agency (PADI), operators, establishments
and professionals were undertaken to
finalize the draft scuba diving rules andregulations. It also completed the survey on
business and licensing permit system of
1,000 tourism establishments as well asthat of tourism related establishments in
Bohol, Cebu, Davao, Palawan, and Manila.

Radisson, homegrown big players such as
Seda and Go Hotel Brands, integrated
developments that feature schools, to thelimited rooms of luxury resorts.

REGIONAL OFFICESThe Regional Offices continued to partnerwith the Local Government Units (LGU’s),
NGO’s, private sector and other tourism
stakeholders to implement the various
planning, marketing and promotions andregulatory activities of the Department.
For this year, the DOT-NCR Officeconducted three (3) technical assistanceactivities and participated in five (5)international and local travel fairs, tourism
exhibits and other related tourism activities
such as Travel Tour Expo 2015; the First
Pasay Travel and Tourism Summit; andDOT’s
CountdowntoChristmas:
Celebrating the Regions Exhibit.
With cruise tourism becoming one of thefastest growing segments in the tourism
industry, and Manila as the most visited
port of call for international cruise ships, theNCR Office provided ship reception which
includes lei reception and provision ofcultural performances to the delight of thecruise passengers of twenty (20) cruise
liners which docked at Manila South
Harbor. Among these cruise ships were: 1)
MS Costa Victoria with 2,394 passengers,
2) Arcadia P.O. Cruises with 1,940
passengers, 3) MS Celebrity Century with
1,800 passengers, and 4) Legend of theSeas among others. This is proof thatthe
Philippines is becoming a popular cruise
destination.

Mercure Hotel, Ortigas(left), Discovery Primea(Makati), right

INVESTMENTS
The Department has endorsed a total of 19
newprojects
relatedtotourismdevelopment for 2015. This includes eight(8) Hotels, two (2) Tourism Economic Zone
Locators, two (2) Integrated Hotel and
School Complex, five (5) Resorts, andtourist inn and apartment hotel. Total
project cost amounted to 18.280 billion
pesos with a manpower complement of
1,373 personnel to be employed uponcompletion of the said projects.These
properties
range
from
international giants such as
Mercure of the Accor Group,

Likewise, to expand its networking withinternational
cruiseoperators
andeventually attract more cruise ships tomake their stops in the Philippines, the
DOT-NCR participated in the Cruise
Shipping Miami 2015 held at Miami,
10

Florida, USA on March 16-22, 2015. The
Office conducted nine (9) industry
manpower trainings such as the Tourist
Oriented Police for Community Order andProtection (TOPCOP) Phase I Phase II
which provides basic tourism concepts andoverview to PNP personnel who aredesignated as tourist police. Calesa drivers
also underwent
Tourism
Frontliners
Seminar to enhance the skills of theKutseros in providing excellent customer
service. The Office also organized cultural,
educational activities for group tours,
international convention delegates among
others.

festivals/events such as Kalesa, Kabayo,
Kutsero Festival (KKK) held in Isabela andKalanguya Festival in Nueva Viscaya. The
Office also provided assistance to Cebu
Pacific One for Fun Caravan in Cagayan.
In addition, media and travel trade
invitational’s were organized for events
such as Windsurfing and Kite boarding,while industry trainings on Homestay
program, eco tour guiding, Regional
Disaster Risk Reduction Management for
stakeholders were conducted. Technicalassistance to the LGUs in termsofformulation and updating of tourism
development plans andconduct ofworkshop on investment and incentive
code were undertaken.

DOT Cordillera Administrative Region(DOT-CAR) provided technical assistancein terms of validating tourism sites for the
Ifugao Provincial Tourism Development
Plan and Tuba Municipal Tourism
Development Plan as well as conductedmanpower training seminar on Homestay
program. The Region also provided support
to Cordillera Great Traverse which
promotedadventure
tourism
while
assistance was also provided to several
festivals to include 6th Tam-awan
International Arts Festival 2015 coinciding
with the celebration of the Heritage Monthwhich gathered Baguio artists as well asother artists to showcase their artworks
depicting Cordillera culture.

DOT-Region 3 conducted several training
programs such as TOPCOP seminars heldin Pampanga, Aurora and Bataan whileplanning and marketing assistance wasprovided for projects namely National
Consultation on the draft “Guidelines on
Marine Wildlife Tourism Interaction in thePhilippines, Launch of North Philippines
Visitors Bureau and APEC Summit in Clark,
Pampanga. Likewise, the Regional Officecontinued to conduct accreditation of
tourism establishments such as hotels,
resorts, tourist inns, travel and tour
agencies, tourist land transport, restaurants
and spa.

The DOT-Region I provided assistance tonine (9) local festivals and events such as
Hundred Islands Festival, Bangus Festival
and also participated to 22nd Travel Tour
Expo. To attract more cruise ships to maketheir port of calls in this region, the Officeparticipated in the Cruise Shipping Miami in
Florida.

In the CALABARZON area, among theactivities of the DOT-Region 4-A Officeinclude the conduct of Visitor Satisfaction
Survey for Taal Volcano Island in Talisay
Batangas, review and evaluation of ecotourism projects as well as monitoring of
the implementation of sustainable tourism
development projects such as Mt. Makiling
Forest Reserve (MMRF) as ASEAN
Heritage Park, Los Baños Laguna; and Mt.
Daguldo, San Juan Batangas. The
Officealso
extendedsupportandassistance to several cultural festivals andevents such as Parade of Lights Festival in
Batangas, Pahiyas in Lucban, Quezon andTo market Cagayan Region as the“Adventure capital of the Philippines” andas a nature and culture based tourism
destination, DOT-Region 2
provided marketing support
servicestovarious11

the 400th Founding Anniversary of Los
Baños, Laguna. In addition, the Office
coordinated and hosted the familiarization
tours of the international and local tri-media
to increase awareness of the region’svarious destinations.

For Bicol region, the DOT-Region 5
developed a total of three (3) new tourism
products namely Inland Cultural Heritage
Ecotourism in Libmanan, Camarines Sur;the Dolphin Watching (is currently being
developed) in Sto. Domingo, Albay; and the“Albay by the bay” which is an island
hopping activity in Bacacay, Albay. The
region also validated/ evaluated a total of
14 sites in Aroroy, Masbate (8 sites) and in
Libman, Camarines Sur (6 sites). A total of
38 capacity building seminars for industry
workers and LGUs were conducted while
there were 8 local travel and trade fairs andfour international events were actively
participated to name: the 14th Bicol
Tourism, Trade and Investment Mission toUSA, and the 35th BNAA Convention in
Tampa Bay, Florida. The Region also
provided assistance to 37 local festivals
such as Bicol Arts Festival in Legazpi Cityand Daragang Magayon Festival in Albay,
and to sixteen (16) special events to name;
Daet
International
Kite
Boarding
Competition and Pilgrimage tours to Joroan
and Peñafrancia.

To promote cruise tourism and enhance theimage of Puerto Princesa City, Coron, andRomblon as a “must experience” cruise
destinations, the DOT-Region 4-B provided
ship reception to 13 cruise ships among
these were MV Legend of the Seas,
MS Europa, Star cruises’ Superstar
Aquarius, MS Amadea, MV Albatros.
In addition, MIMAROPA Office also
extended technical assistance to thetourism industry stakeholders during the
conduct of DOT-ADB Canada Tourism
Industry Skills Training Grant Workshop
held in Puerto Princesa City. In terms of
tourism planning and product development,
assistance was also provided to LGU’s,
NGO’s, tourism establishments andstakeholders in the assessment andevaluation of touristic value of proposed
toursitesin Sibuyan Island, Romblon, San
Vicente and El Nido, Palawan, proposed
Busuanga River cruise and Gumaer Falls
in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro.

To promote cruise tourism in the Western
Visayas Region, DOT Region 6 participatedin Cruise Shipping Miami, Florida and at
Seatrade Cruise Asia held in South Korea.
The Region also participated in the Jeju
technical visit in Seoul, Korea to conduct
benchmarking of seaports. Likewise, toallow the passengers and crew of cruise
ships to experience the Filipino hospitality,
the Office provided welcome reception toseven (7) cruise ships which made theirport of call in Boracay namely; MS Costa
Victoria, MS Celebrity Century, MS
Seabourn, Seven Seas Voyager, Legend of
the Seas, Costa Atlantica and MS Europa.

Likewise, the Office provided marketingand promotions support to various events
to name: Commemoration of “A Salute to
Valor: Palawan - 70 years of Freedom “, 1st
MIMAROPA Festival, Malasimbo Festival
among others. Industry manpower trainings
like housekeeping for Homestay program
were conducted in Marinduque, El Nido
and San Vicente Palawan as well as front
office operations seminars in El Nido,
Palawan, and Mindoro Occidental andCalapan City.
Famtrips were alsoorganized for media, tour operators, andstake holders to create awareness on
MIMAROPA’s
tourism
products.

The Regional office likewise provided
assistance during the conduct of APEC
meetings in Bacolod, Iloilo and Boracay as
well as other events to promote the region
as an emerging MICE destination.
Marketing and promotions support were12

also provided to festivals and other events
such as Masskara Festival, Panaad sa
Negros, Celebration of the 40th Founding
Anniversary of Badiangan, Iloilo, Tinuom
Festival which highlighted local cuisine of
the municipality. Various media, airline
representatives,
tour
operators
anddifferent groups were assisted during theirfamtour held in Boracay. A total of 31
trainings/ workshops were implemented
and to ensure the successful hosting of 2
APEC meetings while in preparation for the
hosting of two (2) APEC meetings in
Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, ocularinspections of convention facilities wasundertaken.

Protected
Orientation.

Landscape

Stakeholders’

Likewise, in partnership with the DENR,
DOT-Region 6, identified as a priority
ecotourism destination has conducted
several ecotourism activities such as
Workshopfor the Formulation of the Rajah
Sikatuna Protected Landscape–Ecotourism
Management Plan; ocular inspection of
Lake Balanan in Negros Occidental; andthe consultation and preparatory activities
for the Green Passport Project. There werealso
invitational/familiarization
trips/
incentive travel and exposure trips
conducted.

To develop and promote activities thatwould generate visitor arrivals and tourist
receipts as well as promote awareness on
the programs, activities and projects ofEastern Visayas, DOT-Region8, provided
support/assistance to 27 major events suchas the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis in
Tacloban, International Coastal clean-up
and the annual festivals of the Region.
There were eight (8) media fam tours
hosted, three advertisements and 11
events coverage and press conference for
the Eastern Visayas Summer Fun launch
2015.

A total of 33 industry manpower trainings
were implemented for this year and theseinclude the Tourism Industry Skills Grant
Scheme Workshop held in Cebu andBohol. In preparation for the hosting ofAPEC
meetings
andInternational
Eucharistic
Congress,
APEC
andOrientation Seminar for Taxi Drivers wereconducted. Likewise, thirteen (13) market
development activities such as media
coverage/photo shoots featuring thevarious destinations of Central Visayas in
TV and print were undertaken.

For 2015, DOT-Region 7 was the proud
host to the ASEAN Plus Three Tourism
Youth Summit 2015, participated in byyouth from the nine (9) ASEAN member
countries including Japan. The summit
enabled the youth participants to raise thelevel of awareness of the ASEAN youth on
issuespertaining
toculturalpreservation,environmental protection, andsocio-economic growth. In terms of tourism
development planning, the DOT-Region 7
has completed the conduct of 39tourism
development planning orientation/seminars,
seven
(7)
ecotourism
development
programs such as the DOT-DENR joint
projects
like
the
Lake
Balinsasayao
Stakeholders’
Orientation and Rajah Sikatuna

With Eastern Visayas getting popular as a
cruise destination, cruise ship reception
was provided to cruise liner MS. Caledonia
Sky with 100 cruise passengers and MS
Europa with 365 passengers. These cruise
ships docked at Capu Island in Northern
Samar and Limasawa Island in Leyte andin Kalanggaman Island, Palompon, Leyte.
To intensify marketing and promotion of theRegion as a cruise destination it actively
participated to Sea Trade Cruise held inSouth Korea to increase awareness of thePhilippines’ potential as a cruise destination
and at the same time, network with cruise
operators. It also joined the Philippine
Business Mission in Japan.
13

DOT-Region 9 continues to promote bird
watching as an activity to attract andsustain awareness on the value ofenvironmental protection through tourism.
To highlight the uniqueness of Zamboanga
City in the birding community, having beenrecognized as the first ever breeding
ground of the great egret documented in
the Philippines, the DOT-Region 9 coorganized together with Zamboanga State
CollegeofMarineSciencesandTechnology (ZSCMST), Wild Bird Club of
the Philippines, Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) andZamboanga City Tourism Office the
1st Zamboanga Bird festival or Dia de Aves
held last February 2015. The bird festival
was held at the bird sanctuary in Rio Hondo
Village inside the Zamboanga State
CollegeofMarineSciencesandTechnology. The festival was a successwhich attracted a lot of people including
foreign bird-watching enthusiasts from
Denmark, England, and France. Also the
DOT Regional Office conducted an Eco
guide seminar to train the locals of
Manukan on cave guiding.

highlighted. In addition, a MICE program
called “Let’s Meet in Davao” was conducted
aimed at positioning Davao as a MICE
destination wherein those who will holdtheir meetings in Davao can avail of
incentives such as discounted hotel rates,transport fares and shopping perks. Asidefrom incentives, those who will visit Davao
will get to experience the cultural andecotourism attractions which Davao has a
lot to offer.
In terms of industry manpower training, theOffice has conducted a total of 21
trainings/seminar like a seminar for tourist
van drivers.
DOT-Region 12 provided assistance to 57
festivals/events and travel fairs in order topromote the region. Also, the DOT Officeparticipated in local and international
events as well as organized familiarization
tours to attract tourists to come andexperience the rich cultural heritage andecotourism potentials of the Region.
To pave the way for the development oflocal cuisines that will represent theregion’s culture as an iconic cuisine, the
DOT-CARAGA provided assistance toKumbira, an annual culinary live showcompetition which aims to showcase theculinary talents and skills of Caraganons.
The culinary live show was held last
February 26-27, 2015. To capacitate thetourism workers, tourism industry training
programs were regularly conducted toinclude frontline service training for public
utility drivers, tourist reception and tour
guiding techniques as well as gender anddevelopment training. The DOT CARAGA
also provided support to the International
Competition on Game fishing and Surfing.

To intensify promotion of Region 10
destinations, cultural festivals, facilities andservices, the DOT Region 10 Officeprovided assistance on the various
activities such a Talk on “Tourism inCagayan de Oro and its new Trends”,
Festivals of festivals in Malaybalay City. A
welcome ship reception was provided to
MS Caledonean Sky Expedition in
Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin. They also
conducted a total of 42 inspections of
tourism establishments.
For Region 11, “ONE DAVAO” which is aregular program of DOT-Region 11 inpartnership with One Davao Tourism
Officers Association, all tourism events andactivities of each province and city werecalendared. Packages for the
peak seasons were createdandkey
eventswere
14

ATTACHED AGENCIESThe
Tourism
InfrastructureandEnterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has
implemented various tourism infrastructure
projects nationwide particularly in areas
with high tourism potentials. In 2015, it
rehabilitated and upgraded several tourism
areas across the country and implemented
a more efficient and convenient systems forcollecting travel tax.
Iloilo Convention Center ready for the APEC
meetings

A total of 52 infra projects were completed,with an aggregate cost of PH 1,048.164
Billion. Some of these notable projects
included the construction of the following:
Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo, World War
II Landmark, Historical Park and Pavilion in
Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, Tourism Center
New Public Grandstand in Cabarroguis,Quirino, cottages in Siban cove, Dadao,
Calayan Island, foot bridge and wharf,
pavilion and view deck of the first Eastermass ecological, historical and recreational
Park in n Butuan City. TIEZA has also
completed the construction of tourist
visitors’centers and green rest rooms inpopular destinations like Aklan andUnderground River in Puerto Princesa,
cottages and convention center in Bislig,
Surigao del Sur and construction of multipurpose building with boardwalk in Donsol,
Sorsogon.

It has also undertaken the restoration of theCarlos Botong Francisco mural at the
Manila City Hall, rehabilitation of Banaue
Hotel roofing in Banaue, Ifugao as well as
the reconstruction of Loboc river terminal in
Bohol. To develop Camp Manuel T. Yan as
an ecotourism and tribal park, constructionof ecotourism complex office, viewing deckand tribal houses were already completed.
Likewise,withtheinclusionofMt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in
Davao Oriental to the UNESCO World
Heritage Site and at the same timeincrease its appeal as an ecotourism
destination, construction of the Visitor’sInformation Center, Research Center
Building and signage were completed.

Visitor Information Center at Mt. Hamiguitan
Range Wildlife Sanctuary ecotourism Park in
Davao Oriental

15

As
part
of
the
117th
Philippine
Independence celebration, TIEZA in
partnership with DOT, Local government ofKawit, Cavite and the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines has installed
the monumental lighting and video mappingshow of the iconic Aguinaldo Shrine.
This 20 minute state of the art video
mapping show is the first of its kind in the
country and has presented the Aguinaldo
Shrine in a completely new perspective,
allowing new technology to transform theheritage structure of the Aguinaldo houseinto a modern one. The agency also
participated in various travel and trade
events, and provided support to LGUinitiated events & festivals. On revenue
collections, the TIEZA generated a total ofPH 3,129.64 Billion in revenue collection
from operating properties and processing
fee of PH 147.336 Billion for the year.

music styles and sounds have evolved over
the years. The event was recorded live for
global telecast to an international audienceof over 300 million in 160 countries.This
musical event showcased iconic andcontemporary hip hop performers from bothinternational and local music scenes in asingle stage.

Guest live band performs during the MTV
evolution held at Quirino Grandstand last May 17,2015 (Photo credit TPB)

Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is
tasked to market and promote thePhilippines domestically and internationallyas a world-class tourism and MICE
destination. TPB in partnership with the
DOT launched a new marketing campaign
called Visit the Philippines Year (VPY)
2015 during the Philippine Travel Exchange(PHITEX) 2015. The VPY is a tourism
tactical campaign aimed to sustain the It’s
more Fun in the Philippines” campaign by
coming up with a year-round calendar of
events for 2015 all over the country that will
attract both foreign and local tourists toactively participate and be part of these
events. Some of these include the Visit ofPope Francis early this year, Madrid
Fusion, APEC meetings and Leader’s
Summit, Siargao International Surfing and
MTV Music Evolution Manila 2015 among
others. MTV Music Evolution was a live
musical event which featured the evolutionof a music genre and allowed
the younger generation toexperience and discovers how

Likewise, TPB organized PHITEX
which aimed to generate maximum
exposure of the Philippine destinations
to key target markets and launch
packages designed for MICE andleisure markets; MICE Conference or
MICECON has become an institutional
annual M.I.C.E. (Meetings, Incentive
Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions/
Events) an educational program for
M.I.C.E. and tourism practitioners that
focuses on global trends on M.I.C.E.

16

IA organized a total of six (6) cosponsorship shows and events such as
Papal Visit, Redhorse Musiklaban, PTAA
22nd Travel Tour Expo 2015, Gregorian
Choirs of Paris, 2015 Pinoy-Euro Jazz
Concert, and LPU Fun Run as tourism
promotion activities. In addition, seminarworkshop on food preparation was
conducted for the Intramuros street
vendors.
Busy day at the registration area of thePhilippine M.I.C.E. Conference 2015 on its
first day (Photo credit: TPB)For 2015, TPB has implemented 50
invitationals/familiarization
trips
toshowcase various tourist destinations suchas Boracay, Davao, Manila and Environs,
Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, and Tagaytay.
Special projects were alsoimplemented
such as Visit Bohol 2015; It’s more fun in
the Philippines, Korea Golf Show, Country
Commitment, FOBISIA Games 2015,
Korea Golf Show, Country Commitment,
and two (2) Domestic Special promotions. It
also participated in 16international Tradeand Consumer Fairs, three (3) domestic
trade and consumer fair. TPB also hosted
APEC 2015 Welcome Dinner Shows heldin Clark, Pampanga and in Tagaytay,
Cavite.

Street vendors in Intramuros learn aboutfood preparation (Photo by Ali Ongsinco)

In recognition of its efforts in protecting the
Spanish colonial architecture of the Walled
City, Intramuros Administration wasawarded with the Heritage Prize 2015 by
the Association of UNESCO World
Heritage Cities of Spain. Tourism Secretary
Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. received the award
from the Mayor of Ávila and the current
chair of the Association last October 30,
2015 at Palacio de los Verdugo, Ávila in
Spain.

The Intramuros Administration (IA)continued its restoration, conservation, andmaintenanceactivities
throughthereconstruction of San Ignacio Church as
Museo de Intramuros in order to house theIA museum collection which includes
ecclesiastical pieces, furniture, jewelry, andother antique items; the rehabilitation of
Aduana St. (including Magallanes Drive)and Fort Santiago; and preparation ofbidding documents for the TIEZA endorsed
and approved projects.

17This also marked the first time that the
Association of UNESCO World Heritage
Cities of Spain has honoured a foreign
institution with the heritage award.
Secretary
Jimenezexpressedhisappreciation for the award and recognized
the importance of the partnership between
the Intramuros Administration and theEscuela Taller de Filipinas for thepreservation and restoration efforts in theWalled City.

activities/exhibits held at the Rizal Park
Visitor’s Center, and four (4) Harana Para
Kay Rizal and hosting of nine (9) events ofnational/historical significance to include
the Feast of the black Nazarene, PopeFrancis State and Pastoral Visit, Shell Eco
Marathon, GomBurZa Death Anniversary,
Independence Day, 200th Birth Anniversary
of Hermano Puli, National Day, Rizal Day
2015 (119th Martydom of Dr. Jose Rizal),and Paco Park Plans Turn-over Ceremony.

Secretary Jimenez, Jr. receives the Heritage
Award from Jose Juis Rivas Hernandez, Mayor of
Avila, Spain

The
National
Parks
Development
Committee (NPDC) provided generalmaintenance work and development of
assigned parks such as Rizal Park, Paco
Park, and T. M Kalaw Center Island. To
maintain the peace and order in the parks,
additional CCTV cameras were installed
within the parks. Likewise, in terms ofpromotion of recreational, cultural, andeducational
programs,
the
NPDC
implemented various events/ regularprograms/presentations/activities such as
Concerts at the Park (50), Paco Park
Presentations (38), Labs Kita Sabado (52),presentations on the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose
Rizal, 36 Weeknights @6 (cinema, music,
dance, theater, literature, and visual arts.
Film Screeningof Cinema in the Open Air,
special events/projects such as the Earth
Hour, Christmas Day Concert and New
Year’s Eve countdown andHorticultural
Exhibitamong
others. There were 17 various

Concert at the Park

Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal

18

Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF)
continued to promote Philippine heritageand culture through conduct of year round
activities such as educational tours as well
as mounting of cultural performancesfeaturing the Nayong Pilipino Dance troupe
and Rondalla which showcased the beautyand ethnicity of Philippine folkdances andmusic to the delight of foreign guests, local
visitors and students. Also, to bring newface to the organization, a new company
logo and rebranding was introduced in2015. The branding of fun and Philippine
culture are easily conveyed through theplayful smile and a face similar to the
Masskara festival mask which is symbolicof the Filipino’s fun and festive nature.

Silay International Airport last May 2015
which generated total sales of US$232,
492.08 Billion for May-November 2015.

PHILIPPINE RETIREMENT AUTHORITY
In 2015, the Philippine Retirement Authority
has undertaken significant steps to improveits quality of service rendered to its
stakeholders/ customers. The Philippine
Retirement Authority has contracted theDevelopment Academy of the Philippines(DAP) to establish an ISO Quality
Management System, one of the strategic
measures undertaken to improve its
performance scorecard.

The new logo of the Nayong Pilipino

By the end of 2015, the RetireeExpenditure Monitoring System, a systemthat will monitor and measure the actual
expenditures of retiree-members (spend on
visa deposit conversion, household,medical services, etc.) is expected toestablish what
has been one of thecorporate targets of PRA under Social
Impact perspective. The agency willconduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey
which is one of the corporate targets on the
Performance Scorecard of the Authority for
FY 2015.

Duty Free Philippines Corporation(DFPC) has generated sales amounting to
USD 226 Million achieving 97% of its$235Million target revenue for the 2015.
They organized several promotional events
to boost sales and increase customer
awareness of the Duty Free Philippines.
The events include Chinese New Yearcelebration, Anniversary Blast Promo,
Sunday Madness Sale, and Peso Power @Php 44 and Smart Shopping Hours Raffle
Promo. The DFPC as part ofits expansion project to serve
more tourists opened its new
store outlet at the Bacolod
19In addition, Retiree Application Servicing
and Billing Information System (RASBIS)
will serve as the core information system of
the Authority.
The Impact to the world of retirement in thePhilippines has been evident in various
international recognitions such as thefollowing:20