A 10-minute-read roundup of Philippine and Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates for the week ending August 14, 2026.
Industry News Updates: Headlines
- HPC2026 Set For September 9
- Intramumu Halloween Street Party & Zombie Race Race Announced.
- DOT Meets With DOTr To Discuss Transport Infrastructure
- Azurin Jr. Steps into DOT Security Role.
- 18th Regional Travel Fair This Weekend
- A Busy Week For Manila Chefs And Restaurants
- Philippines And Chile Sign New MOU
- 500 Tourists Rescued From Greek Beaches.
- Marriott, IHG And Hilton Grow Portfolios With Existing Hotels
- “Tourism Kills” Graffitied on Ministry of Tourism Building
- Record Tourist Spending For Madrid in 2026.
- UK’s Female-Owned Business Map Hits 1k Pins
Philippines Industry News Updates:
HPC2026 Set For September 9
The 9th Hospitality Philippines Conference is set to take place 9-10 September 2026, at Marriot Manila. The conference is expected to bring together the shapers and leaders of the Philippine Hotel Industry.
This years program includes high level key note speakers, discussions, and roundtables for owners, leaders, developers and investors across four summits focused on:-
- Hotel Investment
- Hotel Design
- Hotel Revenue
- Travel Byte
More than 100 Speakers, and 500 plus delegates are expected to attend.
Follow this link to register your place now.
Intramumu Halloween Street Party & Zombie Race Race Announced.
The Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts of Manila, and the Intramuros Administration this week announced a Halloween extravaganza, set to take place at Intramuros.
The event will run from October 31 until November 1, and will include live music and entertainment, costume parades and a Zombie Run.
The Zombie Run will take place on November 1 and you can choose whether to be a Zombie Runner or ……. dinner!
The Zombie run entry fee will get you a Race Singlet, Bib, Finisher medal and sting-tie bag.
There are a number of DJs and bands already signed up for the event but the organizers are also inviting more entertainers to apply to play a set too.
To sign up for the Zombie run, or to play a set – follow the the Intramumu Facebook page for details.
DOT Meets With DOTr To Discuss Transport Infrastructure
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay met with Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez this week to discuss the country’s transportation infrastructure and connectivity issues. These are two areas travel industry experts have identified as impacting on the success of tourism development in the country.
The meeting took place at the Department of Tourism offices in Manila and the agenda items included airport terminal expansions and improvements, and maritime port developments to support more cruise visits, in Aklan, Bohol, Camiguin and Palawan.
The meeting discussed airport runway extensions to accommodate larger aircraft and reducing airfares, and terminal improvements for regional hubs like Siargao, Busuanga and Tacloban
The two departments expressed a commitment to working together to bring about seamless travel and connectivity for both international tourist and domestic travelers.
Azurin Jr. Steps into DOT Security Role.
Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr has been sworn in as Undersecretary for the Department of Tourism’s Visitor Safety and Securities.
Undersecretary Azurin will be drawing on his decades of experience in law enforcement and public safety, to provide a safe, secure and welcoming Philippines for global visitors.
18th Regional Travel Fair This Weekend
The Tourism Promotion Board’s Regional Travel Fair enters its 18th year, and will take place this weekend 14-16 August at the Alnor Hotel and Convention Center in Cotabato.
Entrance to the fair on August 15-16 is free and there are lots of promotions and tour packages on offer for people looking for a great travel deal.
August 14 is set aside for buyers, sellers and the media who will benefit from familiarization tours around the nearby landmarks and destinations, including the Al Jamelah Weaving Center, Bangsamoro Museum, and the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque.
The Travel Fair aims to help expand market access for BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) tourism, and to better promote the region’s cultural and natural heritage.
A Busy Week For Manila Chefs And Restaurants
This week has been a busy one for restaurants in the Philippines capital city.
New Openings & Concept Highlights in Metro Manila
- Chef Luis Martínez opened his “most personal project” yet in Rockwell Center, Makati. The menu at Brasa Martínez features delicious sounding plates, like wild mushroom parfait and butter-and-capers sole.
- Chef Sam Rohana has expanded LaPita – his popular Poblacion Middle Eastern restaurant – into a larger space on L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village. And delivered a fresh menu too.
- Chef Patrick Go has launched a 60-combinaton, build-your-own beef stall. Find his Mono Beef Bar at The Grid Food Market, Power Plant Mall.
- Chefs Koji Oki and Ryujiro Amemori have opened a hidden omakase counter above Greenhills.
- Chef Tatung Sarthou has opened a new Tatung’s at Gateway Mall 2, Araneta. His menu focuses on comforting, homestyle Filipino dishes.
International Openings
- South Korea’s Compost Coffee has celebrated its first branch opening at Market! Market! in BGC.
- Ladurée, the French luxury bakery and tea house famous for its iconic double-decker Parisian macaron’s, has announced two more store openings for 2026. A Ladurée travel retail boutique which will be the first in Southeast Asia, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and a another branch at SM Megamall.
Philippines And Chile Sign New MOU
The Philippines and Chile signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tourism yesterday, August 13 in Santiago.
Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro signed the MOU on behalf of the Philippines Department of Tourism, during a meeting with Chile’s Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna.
The MOU includes plans and activities aimed at strengthening tourism, and product and marketing development between the two countries.
The MOU comes shortly after the conclusion of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the Philippines and Chile.
The CEPA should make it easier for the two countries to trade and invest with each other.
While visits to the Philippines by Chileans is low – only 1,451 recorded visitors since the start of the year – that number does reflect a 7.16% growth in arrivals in 2026.
Global Industry News Updates:
500 Tourists Rescued From Greek Beaches.
500 tourists have been rescued from Greek beaches as forest fires forced an urgent evacuation.
15 small boats were launched to evacuate nearly 500 tourists from resorts near Siviri and Fourka in Greece on Thursday August 13. Some of those rescued were still in their bathing suits.
Wild fires reached a number of highly flammable pine forests. Fire fighters, tackling the blaze on the ground and with water-bombing planes and helicopters, described the fire as a 3-kilometer long wall of flames up to 30 meters high.
Greece’s Civil Protection Agency sent our Evacuation Alerts to the two resorts, and more than 480 tourists were evacuated by sea, as the fires were already too close to the resorts.
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In Croatia, 1,200 residents and tourists were evacuated as wildfires raged through cities along its coastline on the 13th and 14th of August. 10 people are in intensive care.
The fire stated in Lokva Rogoznica on the 13th, and quickly spread to Omis, a tourist town 7 miles away, devastating 1,000 hectares in 4 hours. Slavko Tucakovic, Croatia’s fire chief has described it as one of the worst fires in the country’s history.
As with Greece, the Croatian fires were fuelled by strong winds and the presence of pine forests.
Why Do Pine Forests Cause Such Intense Fires?
Flammable Resin: Pine sap and needles are rich in volatile organic compounds and oils that catch fire instantly and burn at extremely high temperatures.
Ladder Fuels: Low-hanging branches and thick carpets of dry pine needles create a natural pathway for ground flames to climb rapidly into the high tree canopy.
Explosive Cones: Heated pine cones can pop and project burning embers across vast distances, sparking spot fires well ahead of the main front.
Monoculture Spread: Plantation or densely packed single-species pine stands lack fire-resistant deciduous barriers, allowing uninterrupted, high-intensity propagation.
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Last week fire broke out in the Tignale mountains above Italy’s Lake Garda. Again it’s rapid development and progression were down to Pine Forests and strong winds, as well as drought conditions.
The fire, which saw 50 hectares burned, and 200 people evacuated started late evening on August 7. The fires raged for at least 3 days and the area continues to be monitored for further outbreaks.
Marriott, IHG And Hilton Grow Portfolios With Existing Hotels
Marriott, IHG and Hilton continue on their business growth trajectories in 2026, adding more hotels Y-O-Y (Year on Year) to their various brand collections, in part by converting existing hotels.
Instead of only investing in all-new builds, all three are embracing quick wins to build their accommodation and brand portfolio’s, by partnering with existing hotels.
While a business tactic for the global brands, it also allows independent properties to keep their unique names, local designs, and distinct operating styles while benefitting from access to established and far-reaching distribution networks and loyalty programs.
Independent hotel conversions have reportedly accounted for 40% of Marriott’s “openings” in H1 of 2026, which has between 30 to 40 hotel brands under its umbrella. Four of these are aimed at existing hotels; The Autograph Collection, The Luxury Collection, The Tribute Portfolio and Design Hotels.
In October 2025, Hilton launched its Outset Collection, and had over 60 existing hotels readying to ‘open’ under the brand, and a goal to sign a further 500 across Canada and the USA.
Hilton has three primary collections/soft brands explicitly created to convert and incorporate existing independent or boutique hotels; Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, and the upscale conversion brand Outset Collection by Hilton.
IHG signed more than 300 existing hotels in 2025 – effectively more than half of all its existing room openings globally – and has two conversion collections under its Soft Brands; the Vignette and Noted Collections, and two under its Hard Brands – Voco Hotels and Garner
Read more at Hospitality Investor
“Tourism Kills” Graffitied on Ministry of Tourism Building
The Ministry of Tourism building in Palma, Mallorca has been targeted with graffiti for a second time, with the words “Tourism Kills” spray painted on the side of the building.
In July 2025, the Balearic Ministry for Tourism was graffitied with the words ‘culpables de la nostra miseria’ – “Guilty for our misery”.
In both instances the graffiti was removed within hours.
Jaume Bauzá, the Balearic Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport has responded saying “what is deadly, is turning a complex debate into a simplistic slogan”.
Record Tourist Spending For Madrid in 2026.
Spain’s capital Madrid has reported on a record 11.4% surge in tourism revenue in the first half of 2026.
The country’s National Statistics Institute released figures showing both an increase in tourist arrival figures and tourist spending.
Madrid’s H1 international tourist spending has been recorded as €10bn (approx. ₱711.1 billion), as 5.6million people visited the city, over half of whom were overseas tourists.
As with the Philippines, tourists from the United States have been Madrid’s leading visitor demographic in 2026.
Tech Industry News Updates:
UK’s Female-Owned Business Map Hits 1k Pins
An interactive web-based map designed to locate and promote female-owned hospitality businesses hit 1,000 pins in just one month!
The pinned google map was launched by chef Sally Abé, of Teal by Sally Abé, and Kayla Lawrie, who works for food and travel media brand Topjaw.
The map was initially launched with 350 pinned locations mid-July. It now features over 1,000 colored pins identifying female-owned bakeries & cafés (orange), bars & pubs (yellow), hotels (green) and restaurants (purple) across the UK.
Click on a pin and it delivers directory-style details, including the business owner or founder name, address, overall Google Review, and social media accounts and Google Map links.
Chef Sally and Kayla’s aim was not just to highlight female-owned businesses at a local and national level, but to encourage people to “book tables with a little more intention” at a time when hospitality venues are struggling.
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