Issue 39 – April 2022

by PDOT Team | 9 May, 2022 | Newsletters, Travel Industry Updates

WTTC announces speakers for its 21st Global Summit in the Philippines

WTTC announces speakers for its 21^st Global Summit in the Philippines
20yr old Indonesian activist Melati Wijsen will take to the stage in Manila
WTTC Global Summit set to aid the recovery of the region

London, UK: The World Travel & Tourism Council (

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) unveils its speakers for its upcoming Global Summit in Manila, which includes Indonesian/Dutch activist Melati Wijsen.

At just 12 years old, activist Melati Wijsen founded Bye Bye Plastics – a global movement powered by youths around the world to end the use of plastic bags, and in 2018 alongside her sister, was named one of the “World’s most influential teens” by Time magazine.
Taking place in Manila, Philippines from 20-22 April, the global tourism body’s highly anticipated 21^st Global Summit is the most influential Travel & Tourism event in the calendar.
Industry leaders will gather with more than 20 government representatives in Manila, to continue aligning efforts to support the sector’s recovery and move beyond to a safer, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.
South Korean politician Ban Ki-Moon who served as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016, will also address delegates virtually at this prestigious event.
Also taking to the stage at the Global Summit will be the Tourism Ministers from around the world including Spain, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Japan, Maldives, and Barbados amongst others.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “We are delighted to have such influential speakers already confirmed for our Global Summit in Manila.

“Melati is an inspiration to us all. A real changemaker, who from such a young age, has been instrumental in raising awareness of the damage caused by plastic and has inspired young people around the world to lead change.
“After more than two years, the region is perfectly positioned to post the losses caused by the pandemic. WTTC’s Global Summit will act as a catalyst to drive forward the recovery of a sector that is critical for both the economy and jobs.”
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Philippine Tourism Secretary, said: “Preparations are underway to ensure the success of WTTC’s Global Summit in Manila, which serves as the light at the end of tunnel following a long period of darkness for global tourism.
“It is heartening that these inspiring individuals have joined our efforts to bring the industry onward to full recovery” Puyat added.
Other notable speakers taking to the stage during the Global Summit will be international business leaders such as Arnold Donald, President & CEO Carnival Corporation and Chairman at WTTC; Craig Smith, Group President International Division Marriott International; Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones, COO Tourism Promotion Board Philippines; Federico Gonzalez, CEO Radisson; Hermione Joye, Head of APAC for Travel at Google Inc, and Greg O’Hara, Founder and Senior Managing Director Certares and Vice Charman at WTTC.
A hybrid event, WTTC’s Global Summit will also feature Kelly Craighead, President & CEO CLIA; Jane Sun, CEO Trip.com, Ariane Gorin, President Expedia for Business; and Darrell Wade, Chairman Intrepid Group; amongst others.

More speakers will be announced over the coming weeks.
The WTTC Global Summit is taking place in the Philippines at a time when the country and the region begins to recover from the pandemic and will showcase the importance of Travel & Tourism in the region.
WTTC’s recent research shows the forecast for the Asia Pacific region could be its Travel & Tourism sector approaching pre-pandemic levels this year.
According to the research, the sector’s contribution to the region’s GDP could reach USD 2.9 trillion, near pre-pandemic levels, while employment could reach over 190 million jobs, surpassing 2019 figures and providing an additional five million jobs to the sector.
To reach close to pre-pandemic levels this year, WTTC says governments across the region and around the world must continue focusing on the vaccine and booster rollout – allowing fully vaccinated travellers to move freely without the need for testing.
The WTTC Global Summit in Manila is sponsored by Resorts World Manila, Global Rescue, Okada Manila, Hilton Manila, Turkish Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Etihad Airways, Philippine Airlines, Tourism Promotion Board Philippines, Tieza, SSI Group, UBE Express, Inc., Nissan Philippines, Inc., and Xpansiv.
To view the latest speaker list in full, please click

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The 21^st Global Summit is taking place in Manila, Philippines from 20-22 April 2022. For media interested in attending the live event, please contact the WTTC Press Office at press.office@wttc.org. To register for the virtual event, please click

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PHL Foreign tourist arrivals breach 200k mark – DOT Chief

The Department of Tourism (DOT) hailed the recent increase in the latest number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country, reaching 202,700 as of April 7, 2022.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat expressed her satisfaction with the latest figures, noting such to be a welcome development following the sustained reopening of our borders and loosening of travel restrictions.

“The sustained influx of tourists in the Philippines is a good measure of the industry’s success in its preparations to welcome foreign tourists in the new normal. Our high vaccination rate among tourism workers and reportedly low cases around the country have helped restore the confidence of travelers to visit the Philippines during the summer season,” Puyat stressed.

“This continued growth shall aid our stakeholders, as well as the economy, in recovering from the effects caused by the pandemic,” she added.

Based on the data generated from the One Health Pass (OHP), foreign arrivals from the USA topped the list with 43, 744 visitors since the country reopened its borders to foreign leisure tourists.

This is followed by Canada with 9,618; United Kingdom with 9,315; South Korea with 8,440; and Australia with 8,212 tourists.

According to the Tourism chief, the Philippines still has one of the simplest and most relaxed travel restrictions, following the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF-EID) move to allow the use of rapid antigen test as entry requirements for travelers; on the condition that this should be administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishment for purposes of entry, testing, and quarantine protocols.

Source: PDOT-Office of Public Affairs and Advocacy

PH Travel Trade & Media Familiarisation Tours

The Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) London Office is leading five groups of key European tour operators, media representatives and travel influencers for a familiarisation trip to the Philippines in conjunction with the WTTC Global Summit in Manila on April 20-22, 2022.

A British group of select media and travel influencers is set to cover Manila, The Cordilleras (Baguio, Sagada, Banaue & Kiangan Rice Terraces) and the dream vacation island of Lio Beach in El Nido, Palawan.

Apart from Manila, other groups of top British and Spanish tour operators will be exploring also the culinary delights of Iloilo, and the world-renowned Boracay Island.

A special group of Italian operators is visiting the underground river of Puerto Princesa and El Nido in Palawan, and Clark.

Another group of major Italian media representatives and travel influencers is going to Bohol and Cebu, the favourite twin island destinations in the country, and Clark for the Mt. Pinatubo adventure tour and food tripping in Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines.

The familiarisation tours are part of the strategic program of the PDOT London Office to support the reopening of the Philippines to international leisure travellers last February 10, 2022, and the country’s hosting of the WTTC Global Summit which is expected to draw more than six hundred in-person attendees.

The Philippines at the 2022 Go Diving Show

The PDOT-London Office led the Philippine participation in the Go Diving Show held at the NAEC Stoneleigh in Coventry, England last March 04-06, 2022.

This is the most important scuba diving trade and consumer fair in the UK.

The lean Team Philippines included the Philippine Dive Holidays, a Philippine specialist based in the UK, Scandi Dive Resort from Puerto Galera, and Thresher Shark Divers from Malapascua, Cebu.Scuba diving is a major Philippine product for thousands of active British and European divers.

The London-based World Travel Awards cited the Philippines as the “World’s Leading Dive Destination” for 2019, 2020 and 2021, based on yearly global votes.

DOT Launches Digital Travel Magazine “7641”

In a bid to further promote the various destinations in the country and fast track tourism recovery, the Department of Tourism (DOT) launches “7641 Islands of the Philippines”, a digital magazine that will provide readers travel inspiration and information.

The tourism circuits that the different regional offices of the DOT have developed, as part of the tourism recovery program, take center stage in the digital magazine. Among the featured circuits are the Bike Trails of Bicol and Central Visayas, Camiguin and Misamis Oriental’s Green Adventure Loop, Davao’s Dive Tourism, Boracay Food Crawl, SOCCSKSARGEN’s Farm Tours, and the Interregional Cuisine and Culture of Ilocos, Central Luzon, and Cordillera.

7641, which is part of DOT’s

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website, supplies travel information through feature articles that provide detailed itineraries, suggested activities with accompanying reminders for a safe adventure, and interesting stories for each place.

“In 7641, we go in-depth into the stories of a destination, a cultural tradition, a dish, a personal affiliation to a place, while also providing the basic information you need as a traveler,” said Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat.

This will also feature more of those destinations that are lesser known but are equally stunning as the country’s popular tourist sites, like Marinduque’s white sand beaches, the healing island of Siquijor, the caves and paragliding sites of Nueva Vizcaya, the pink sand beaches of Zamboanga City, among others.

Paragliding adventure in Nueva Vizcaya. Photo courtesy of the Department of Tourism.

“We want to promote all tourist destinations in the archipelago that have already reopened to visitors. Each month, we will highlight different places so that the public can discover the marvelous sites that our 7,641 islands can offer,” said Puyat.

The DOT invited feature and non-fiction writers, some of whom traveled to the destinations themselves, for more immersive writing. The DOT also collaborated with regional creatives, including SinoPinas and Playground Films of Zamboanga City, to document the sites and motivate people to travel through images and videos.

Also featured are collaborations with writers like multi-awarded poet and novelist Edgar Calabia Samar, author of Janus Silang; Palanca awardee Joyce Roque; and MJ Tumamac, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino’s 2019 Poet of the Year.

7641 Islands of the Philippines

The microsite’s name was inspired by the number of islands in the Philippines. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), has an ongoing islands inventory.

Based on the preliminary results of the inventory conducted by NAMRIA in 2013, the latest islands count that was announced is 7,641.

Everyone is invited to discover the country’s islands and be updated on your next travel inspirations and bucket lists. Visit

7641islands.ph

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