CAPA Summit delegates immerse in Mactan Cebu heritage

CAPA LCC delegates immerse in the rich history of Cebu City visiting the famous landmarks of the destination

CEBU – Delegates of the CAPA Centre for Aviation Low-Cost Carriers (LCC) in North Asia Summit 2019 immersed in the rich heritage and culture of Mactan, Cebu as part of the pre-event tour.

Among the historical landmarks visited were the Magellan’s Cross, which serves as the reminder of the power and pervasiveness of the Catholic Church in the country, and the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, which is considered as one of the oldest churches in the Philippines built on the spot where the image of Sto. Niño was left behind.

The tour group also visited Fort San Pedro, the smallest and oldest triangular bastion, and the first Spanish fort established in the country. The fort now serves as a vestige of past colonial command.

The Heritage of Cebu Monument shows the symbolic events of the Cebu history back from the time of Rajah Humabon to the recent beatification of Cebuano martyr, Pedro Calungsod

Another landmark toured by the group was The Heritage of Cebu Monument, which is a tableau of sculptures made of concrete, bronze, brass, and steel showing symbolic events in the Cebu history as well as the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, which is the first Chinese House built outside of China constructed between 1675 and 1700.

The last stop of the tour was the Casa Gorordo, a historic house that offers an intimate glimpse of the Filipino society from the colonial period up to the outbreak of World War II. 

More than 260 senior executive and industry experts will convene from June 24-25 to discuss the key challenges and strategic issues of the LCCs industry in the region.

Delegates at the Magellan’s Cross during the Mactan Cebu Heritage tour 

DOT reports 12.15% increase in foreign tourist arrivals for April 2019

International tourist arrivals in April 2019 reached 662,987, registering a 12.15 percent growth vis-a-vis 591,137 received last year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported. 

The top five markets with their respective volumes and growth rates are: China with 139,177 (+26.77%), Korea with 130,707 (+13.68%), USA with 87,710 (+2.5%), Japan with 57,724 (+17.75%) and Australia with 28,683 (+13.41%).

Meanwhile, foreign visitor count for January to April 2019 totaled 2,867,551, or an increase of 8.57 percent over 2,642,241 of the same period in 2018.

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat remarked, “With the heightened marketing initiatives with the private sector and travel trade counterparts in the various markets, improved connectivity arising from new flights, additional frequencies and expanded capacity brought about by new and upgraded airports, we anticipate more visitors to keep this upward trend sustained.”

"We also attribute increased travel movement and consumption to continued efforts in developing new and existing tourism circuits all over the country in pursuit of sustainable tourism.", she added.

PDOT bids hosting of UNWTO confab in 2021

Bhutan - The Joint Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Commission on Asia and the Pacific (CAP) and the Commission on South Asia (CSA) supported the Philippine bid to host the UNWTO General Assembly in 2021. The bid is timed with the celebration of the quincentennial of the world’s first circumnavigation in 1521 which was completed when the Spanish expedition arrived in Cebu.

DOT Officials with Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering (second from left) during Bhutan’s Welcome Reception on 03 June 2019, (L-R:  Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Undersecretary Edwin R. Enrile.)

Philippine Delegation to the UNWTO Commission and Related Meetings

DOT officials at the 31^st UNWTO Joint Commission Meeting

Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat during the Department’s hosting of the Philippine Dinner Reception 

The warmly-applauded performance of Ms. Isay Alvarez and Mr. Robert Sena during the DOT-hosted dinner

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who led the Philippine delegation to Bhutan for the 31st UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Related Meetings, enthused, “The Philippines is excited to host the UNWTO General Assembly in 2021, primarily to showcase the country’s sustainable tourism programs and actions and secondly, to give importance to the nation’s significant role in world maritime history and to draw highlight to our country’s discovery.”

Among the various meetings held in the three-day conference was the UNWTO Regional Conference on Sustainable Development through Tourism. This has been a platform to discuss the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Consumption and Production through Tourism.

Bhutan's initiatives on Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Asia highlighted the conference theme, wherein most speakers talked about their respective programs on GNH. The PDOT, as a member of the panel, shared its intent to review current policies and to put premium on sustainable development as part of the tourism indicators which must go hand in hand with other economic development indicators.

Meanwhile, at the 57th Meeting of the UNWTO CAP, the Philippines was elected as member of both the Committees on Tourism and Sustainability and on Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account. The inclusion of the Philippines in these committees provides an opportunity not only to sit among other UNWTO Member states but to share its invaluable experience in promoting sustainable tourism development.

The PDOT-hosted dinner at the Taj Tashi Hotel was highlighted by the presence of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Dr. Lotay Tshering.

Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat with Chef Margarita Fores

“Asia’s Best Female Chef” Margarita Fores curated the dinner with dishes such as sinigang, chicken inasal and beef adobo. Before the reception ended, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili appointed Chef Fores as a UNWTO Ambassador.

The reception featured world-renowned performers Isay Alvarez and Robert Sena whose repertoire included Filipino songs, and popular classical and musical numbers.

Photos shared by Rey Moraga

PHL-France strengthening tourism cooperation

MAKATI CITY – The Philippines strengthened its tourism partnership with France through the signing of the summary record of discussion during the 1^st Philippines-France Joint Working Group Meeting.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary for Tourism Development Benito Bengzon Jr. signed on behalf of the country while the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Head of Tourism Promotion Department Clément Laloux represented the French delegation.

“Our meeting aims to discuss the plans and developments of the agreement to recommend programs, projects, and activities for the development of tourism cooperation between our two countries…As we are gathered here, may we continue to help each other to build and promote our respective countries,” Undersecretary Bengzon said.

The inaugural joint working group meeting between the two nations commenced following the signing of the agreement on tourism cooperation in Manila last February 2015.

“We are very happy to be here for this first joint committee on tourism. I think we both worked very actively to increase the number of tourists coming to the Philippines and coming to France. I’m sure that the French expertise of the French companies that are part of the delegation will take part in this development,” Laloux said.

Leading the Embassy of France in Manila delegation are His Excellency Nicolas Galey, French Ambassador to the Philippines and Micronesia, Deputy Head of Mission Christine Carole, Political Counsellor Quentin Biehler, Economic Counsellor Laurent Estrade, and Counsellor Camille Chabe.

Representing other French government organizations include  Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs International Development Officer Maud Hainry and Atout Franc Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Director Morad Tayebi.

The French private sector was well represented by Aéroport de Paris Ingénierie Aviation Marketing Director Guillaume Arrigoni, Pomo Asia Sales Manager Benjamin Fauchier Delavigne, Club Med Regional Development Manager – East and South Asia and Pacific Sébastian Favre, PayinTech Country Manager – Philippines Brian Tessier, and Paris-Manila Technology Corp. President and CEO and member of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines Hubort d’Aboville.

“France is well aware of the huge potential of the Philippines’ tourism sector…Your beautiful and welcoming country can certainly attract many more tourists beyond the well-known destinations in Southeast Asia. As your slogan says, it’s always more fun in the Philippines,” Ambassador Galey shared.

Among the agenda of the meeting covered were the destination promotion efforts and best practices, investment opportunities, air route connectivity and direct flight proposal, and the two-way tourism traffic.

“We have managed to attract almost 75,000 French tourists in 2018, hopefully with better coordination and closer cooperation it can finally reach 100,000,” Undersecretary Bengzon added.

A total of 74,389 French tourists visited the Philippines last year with 22,219 arrivals already for the first two months of 2019. This recorded a double-digit growth of 22.25% against the same period in 2018.

Conversely, over 86,000,000 Filipinos visited France in 2017 mostly on pilgrimage tours. 

France is the country’s thirteenth source market and is the top three for Europe following the United Kingdom and Germany. As of February this year, French tourists are also the ninth top spending tourist with PHP 896,158,004 expenditures or USD 17,171,049.

The DOT targets 114,264 French tourist arrivals by 2020.

In order to attract more French nationals, the DOT conducts product and market research and development with training, webinars, e-learning and incentive programs for the French market, trade development and trade support via French travel agents familiarization trip, joint promotion campaigns, business-to-business workshop with Philippine travel trade and Central Europe roadshow, conduct of French media familiarization tours, and participation at major trade and consumer fairs including dive shows with the notable endorsement of French celebrity freediver Guillaume Néry as the Freediving Ambassador of the Philippines.

The French delegation also toured Intramuros, Rizal Park, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, National Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Museum of Natural History showcasing Manila’s tourism products, park management, heritage conservation, and deep religious culture of Filipinos.

Photos:

“Your beautiful and welcoming country can certainly attract many more tourists beyond the well-known destinations in Southeast Asia. As your slogan says, it’s always more fun in the Philippines.” -  His Excellency Nicolas Galey, French Ambassador to the Philippines and Micronesia (left)

 Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. signs the summary record of discussion during the 1^st Philippines-France Joint Working Group Meeting

Europe and Foreign Affairs, Head of Tourism Promotion Department Clément Laloux (left) together with DOT Undersecretary Bengzon 

DOT invites the public to visit Museo de Intramuros

As the Philippines celebrate National Heritage Month this May, the Department of Tourism (DOT) invites the public to explore and learn about Philippine culture and history by visiting Museo de Intramuros in Manila.

Managed by the Intramuros Administration (IA), Museo de Intramuros is located in two important reconstructions inside the walled city: the San Ignacio Church and the Mission House of the Society of Jesus. The museum was designed to house the period art collections of IA that includes ecclesiastical art, furniture, vestments, and textiles and other artifacts.

The museum will be open to the public starting May 2, 2019, and admission is free.

Museo de Intramuros’ official opening, which took place on April 29, 2019, was among the highlights of the Intramuros Administration’s 40^th anniversary as an institution.

The current in-house exhibition presents the story of the evangelization of the Philippines from the perspective of the Filipinos. It explores changes in the “Filipino” psyche as colonization introduced a new religion and culture to the natives.

With the display of religious images belonging to the IA collection, the exhibition is able to highlight Filipino artistry and craftsmanship that developed from the merging of the indigenous and the foreign.

Curated by Dr. Esperanza Gatbonton, Gino Gonzales, Dr. Cecilia dela Paz, Santiago Pilar and Martin Tinio, theexhibition has six components: (1) The Immaculate Conception, (2) The Religious Order, (3) The Patronato Real and the establishment of Parishes, (4) Religious Colonial Paintings, (5) The establishment of a parish and sacred vessels, and (6) The Indio Response.

In her 1981 book Philippine Relihious Imagey, co-curator Dr. Gatbonton wrote, “This collection of the Intramuros Administration is extremely valuable because it represents the first real attempt to collect and preserve within the Philippines an important aspect of the country’s cultural heritage.

“The collection affords the viewer a panorama of the various styles and enables him to compare them with the artifacts done abroad in the same medium. We, Filipinos, have always tended to accept that we were the passive receiver of artistic stimuli from abroad. This collection proves that the Philippines was as much a giver.”

At the museum’s opening, DOT Secretary and Chairperson of the IA Board of Administrators, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said, “IA’s dedication in ensuring that the tangible treasures that immortalize our history are now accessible to the public is commendable.”

She congratulated IA Administrator Guiller Asido and the cultural workers behind the museum and added, “This project, rooted in passion and a deep love of country, must be emulated and replicated.”

“The Department of Tourism will be investing in the promotion of cultural tourism in the years to come. We’re doing it not just because we need to expand our tourism products, engage a specific market and increase revenue. Cultural tourism is telling the world our narrative. It is also a platform to ensure that our heritage structures and objects such as these will be preserved and enjoyed by our progeny,” Puyat said.

The Intramuros Administration is an attached agency of the DOT in-charge of the restoration, development, and promotion of the historic walled city of Intramuros. 

PHOTOS 

Tourism Secretary Bernadettte Romulo-Puyat congratulated IA Administrator Guiller Asido and the cultural workers behind the museum and added, “This project, rooted in passion and a deep love of country, must be emulated and replicated.”

Tourism Secretary Romulo-Puyat tours the three-story museum which showcases the form of religious images belonging to the Intramuros Administration collection 

Museo de Intramuros will be open to the public starting May 2, 2019, and admission is free

Tourism Secretary Romulo-Puyat with the curatorial consultants and pioneer champions of the Intramuros district

Images of the Religious Orders and the Immaculate Conception exhibit at the ground floor of the museum

Relics and figures of the Establishment of a Parish and Sacred Vessels exhibit at the second floor


Showcase of the future of the Intramuros Administration at the third floor


DOT and Intramuros Administration family during the opening of Museo de Intramuros