Bringing you the Philippine and Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates for the week ending June 19, 2026.
Industry News Updates
- Philippines Top 5 Muslim-Friendly Destinations
- Mandarin Oriental Returns To Manila
- DOT At Blockchain Event Opening
- Wagamama’s A Coming
- Ube Culinary Celebration Extended
- PH’s World Class Bartender Named
- Lapland Resort Launches Gold Bar Treasure Hunt
- French Tourist Faces Fines In Venice
- Hospitality Strikes Almost Derail World Cup US
- Giant Ants Take Over Mahon Menorca
- Italian Tourist Killed In Wyndham Hotel Fire
- Trivago’s Lawsuit Against Google
- GA4 Now Includes AI Search Data
Hospitality & Tourism Industry News Updates Philippines
Philippines Top 5 Muslim-Friendly Destinations
The Philippines has been announced as a Top 5 Muslim-friendly destination in the Mastercard Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 (GMTI).
The report also highlights the Philippines as being among the Top 10 destinations globally in the Communications category.
Mindanao earned distinction as The Most Promising Muslim-Friendly Region among non-OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) destinations.
The DOT has been positioning the Philippines as a Halal and Muslim-friendly tourism destination for some time, seeing this as a key driver for tourism growth and investment:-
- Halal Town To Rise In Manila – Industry News Updates 22nd August
- DOT Establishes Muslim-Friendly Recognition Program – Industry News Updates 19 September
- Megaworld Hotels & Resorts Certified Halal – Industry News Updates 17 October
- Muslim-Friendly Philippine Travelogue Published – Industry News Updates 31 October
This week also saw the opening of SALAAM: The Halal Tourism and Trade Expo Philippines 2026 showcase, which is being held at Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City until Sunday June 21.
The expo is in its third year and includes representation from Halal-certified food and delicacies, wellness and cosmetic essentials, and Muslim-friendly accommodations.
Mandarin Oriental Returns To Manila
The Mandarin Oriental brand is returning to Manila with Mandarin Oriental Makati, set to open towards the end of 2026.
The last time Mandarin Oriental had a presence in Makati was back in 2014. The location for the new hotel is Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati and the hotel is being developed in partnership with Ayala Land Inc.
The hotel will boast 275 rooms and suites, with floor to ceiling windows, and residential-style design fitted out with natural, and woven materials, and wood finishes. Some of the rooms and suite will be offered as conjoining with connecting doors.
Mandarin Oriental Club members will enjoy Club Accommodations, access to the Club Lounge and a 24-hour butler service.
The five restaurants and bars will focus on local ingredients and influences, as well as International and Cantonese cuisines.
Further amenities include a 25 metre outside swimming pool, a Spa and Wellness Floor with views across Ayala Triangle Gardens, and meetings rooms, a Grand Hall and boardroom facilities.
DOT At Blockchain Event Opening
The Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay, took part in the opening ceremony of the Philippine Blockchain Week 2026 (PBW), held at SMX Convention Center, Manila.
The three-day conference showcases Filipino tech products, and web development service, as well as featuring panel discussions and networking opportunities.
Wagamama’s A Coming
Wagamama, a popular UK-based pan-Asian restaurant chain has officially announced its arrival in the Philippines.
Wagamama, in partnership with The Bistro Group, will open its first restaurant towards the end of 2026.
British migrants/tourists will surely be happy to get their spoons into a Wagamama White Chocolate and Ginger Cheesecake once more!
Ube Culinary Celebration Extended
New World Makati Hotel has extended its Ube Culinary Celebration.
Due to popular and ongoing demand, the Ube Culinary Celebration, at Café 1228 has been extended until July 31, 2026.
The buffet features a wide array of ube-infused sweet and savory dishes, including the award-winning New World Ube Cream Liqueur.
Philippines’ World Class Bartender Named
Ronald Cruz of Makati bar Fat Cat has been crowned World Class Philippines Bartender of the Year for 2026.
Cruz presented an interpretation of three classic cocktails using Johnnie Walker Black Ruby for the Hopscotch Challenge.
“We are very excited by the talents that we have seen this year” – Rachanatorn “Nok” Laohaphan, GM, Diageo Philippines.
Cruz will represent the Philippines at the Diageo World Class Global Finals, which will take place in Scotland in September.
Global Industry News Updates
Lapland Resort Launches Gold Bar Treasure Hunt
A Lapland resort has announced that it will be hiding a €20,000 (approximately P1,394,895.00) gold bar somewhere in its grounds, ready for a guest to find.
Levi, a ski resort inside the Artic Circle in Lapland, has advised that the lucky gold bar finder will get to keep the gold bar too.
The Treasure Hunt was thought-up as a way to drive interest and stays at the resort during the ‘summer’ months.
The Midnight Sun Hunt – named because the sun doesn’t set during the summer months – will start on June 18. It will run either until the end of August or the gold bar is found.
French Tourist Faces Fines In Venice
A French tourist has upset Venetians after upending a bag of human ashes into the water, not long after boarding a vaporetto (a public ferry) near St Mark’s Square.
The footage was shared on Venezia Non è Disneyland (Venice Is Not Disneyland), an Instagram account which regularly posts about poor tourist behavior while in Venice.
The woman’s traveling companion filmed the woman as she opened a bag and then shook the content into the water, as the boat was passing by San Giorgio Maggiore.
Ashes can be scattered in Venice, but in designated locations which are at least 500 meters from inhabited areas, such as gardens of remembrance, cemeteries and out at sea. It is illegal to scatter ashes into the lagoon in front of St Mark’s Square.
The new mayor of Venice has also, this week, proposed increasing the city’s tourist entrance fee to €30-50 per person (P2,088 – 3,481).
Mayor Simone Venturini, who was elected less than one month ago, believes increasing the charge will discourage some visitors from visiting, and ease overcrowding in the city.
The current tourist entrance fee is €5 per person, rising to €10 per person for last-minute arrivals.
Some politicians have criticized the proposal while others have highlighted that the €5-10 fee (P348-696), brought in to effect in 2024, has done little to curb tourist arrivals because it is such a small amount.
Hospitality Strikes Almost Derail World Cup US
Around 2,000 Hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium, California voted to take strike action just days ahead of the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
96% of Unite Here Local 11 union members, including bartenders, servers, cooks, dishwashers, suite attendants, and concession workers, voted to take strike action. They took the vote after talks stalled with Legends Global – the company that operates the food services at SoFi Stadium.
The Union requested “pay that reflects the true cost of living in Los Angeles, including premium pay for World Cup and other mega- events, and payment to a housing fund to build housing for hospitality workers.”
Reports suggest that Legends Global planned to only increase wages by 25 cents per hour, whilst freezing wages for employees like cooks and dishwashers.
Other requests from the Unions include security assurances. Concerns were raised that FIFA, which will accredit all stadium workers for World Cup games, could release workers personnel information to ICE. A separate union, ACLU had also filed a complaint with the state of California, asking that an investigation be undertaken regarding the accreditation process.
“We are seriously concerned that FIFA will hand over our most sensitive personal information and waive our rights under California law, or (we will) lose our job working the World Cup.” – Yolanda Fierro, Suites Runner SoFi Stadium.
A tentative contract deal was reached on Tuesday June 9, with agreed salary rises – $40 per hour or more, with tip workers receiving pay increases of at least 30%.
The deal also included an “explicit right to strike” if ICE or Border Control activity at the stadium in any way threatened a workers safety.
The new contract will hold in place until the end of April 2028 – just before the Olympics.
Giant Ants Take Over Mahon Menorca
Giant Ants have taken over the capital of Menorca in recent weeks but it’s not what you might think.
The two giant ants are animatronics designed by anti-tourism groups protesting against over-tourism of the island.
One protestors signed stated “Fed up with tourism crushing us”.
More than 1,200 people took to the streets last week, during the latest protest, warning that it was just the start of their protest actions.
A big event is also being planed for Palmas on July 26 too, focusing on the housing crisis, water management, and tourism overcrowding.
Italian Tourist Killed In Hotel Fire
An Italian tourist has died and 1,700 other tourists have been evacuated from a Wyndham hotel in the Dominican Republic.
A fire broke out today, June 19, at the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham. The fire quickly spread with the flames fanned by high winds and the hotels partially thatched, dray palm leaf roof.
Three other people have been hospitalized, and six others received treatment at the scene. In total 1,690 tourists have been evacuated to other hotels.
The tourist who lost her life has not been named but has been described as 46 year old Italian woman.
Hospitality & Travel Tech Industry News Updates
Trivago’s Lawsuit Against Google
Trivago has filed an antitrust damages claim against Google in the Regional Court of Hamburg, Germany.
The travel metasearch company alleges that Google systematically favored its own hotel metasearch services in general search results. Trivago argues that this unlawfully steers millions of travelers away from competitors.
Trivago’s lawsuit claim seeks compensation for damages incurred over an 11-year period, from January 2014 until December 2025.
Trivago is also pursuing a declaratory judgment for Google’s liability from January 2026 onward.
The lawsuit is built upon EU and German competition laws, specifically citing Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Alongside a substantial damages claim, Trivago is also demanding the disclosure of relevant traffic and revenue data currently held by Google.
GA4 Now Includes AI Search Data
Google’s recent updates have included expanding its GA4 (Google Analytics 4) to deliver detailed AI Search data and reports in some areas.
Marketers in areas where the updates are available can track AI impressions across AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Discover, and segment the data by page, country, device and date.
CTR is not currently recorded/provided though.
