Bringing you the Philippine and Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates for the week ending June 5, 2026.
Industry News Updates Headlines:
- Cebu’s 5th Food & Wine Festival Launches.
- Fête de la Musique Philippines 2026
- Algeria Sports Tourism Growth
- DOT Eyes Vietnamese Tourist Arrivals
- DENR Uncovers 84 Siquijor Resorts Without Papers
- Davao DENR Reminds Tours Mt Apo Is Closed
- DOT Region VI Reminds Tourists To Transact With Verified Travel & Tour Agencies
- Agoda’s Tourism Workforce Skills Development
- Israel’s Ambassador Tries To Repair Siargao Bridges
- UK Sees Over 1000 Flight Delays In One Day
- On The Spot Tourist Fines Japan
- UK’s National Blacklist For Abusive Flyers
- Portugal Strikes Affect Thousands Of Tourists
- Scottish Island Closes To Tourists
Philippine Hospitality & Tourism Industry News Updates
Cebu’s 5th Food & Wine Festival Launches.
The 5th Cebu Food & Wine Festival kicked off at the Marco Polo Plaza, at the end of this week.
The official launch offered a taster of the Festival’s planned activities, dining experiences and partnerships. It was attended by Cebu’s culinary community and stakeholders from the food, tourism and hospitality industry. There were also representatives from the agriculture sector in attendance.
Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro spoke about the role food plays in strengthening relationships between farmers and the hospitality industry, emphasizing the continued need to improve food sustainability so that Cebu relies less on products sourced from elsewhere.
The Grand Opening of the 5th Cebu Food & Wine Festival, will take place on June 13 at Mactan’s Crimson Resort & Spa.
Follow their Facebook Page for updates on events and activities during the Festival.
Fête de la Musique Philippines 2026
It’s June and that means it’s time for Fête de la Musique Philippines! This French music tradition takes place world wide, throughout the month of June, and it is already in its 32nd year in the Philippines.
This years theme is “For the people, By the people” and it doesn’t matter what type of music you’re into because somewhere there will be a venue offering a whole night of that genre. Not only that it’s free, courtesy of Alliance Française de Manille and its partners.
FêtePH2026 will see a network of pocket stages in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao between June 20-28. In total (so far) 2026 will see 123 events nationwide, across 34 locations.
Follow the official Facebook Page for dates, bands and pocket stages.
Our Founders bar, Hangar 18 will be hosting its first Fête stage: Experimental Goth on June 27th.
Algeria Sports Tourism Growth
Algeria continues to build a reputation for sports tourism hosting the UCI Mountain Bike Continental and XCO Junior Series during the “Kabibo Banjak Alegria 2026 International XCO and XCE”.
The competition attracted mountain bikers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Guam and the Philippines.
Held at Doña Conchita Lakeview Resort in Alegria, Surigao del Norte from June 5-7, this competition builds on Alegria’s reputation as a sports tourism hub in the region.
DOT Eyes Vietnamese Tourist Arrivals
A number of steps are being undertaken by the Department Of Tourism to boost tourism arrivals from Vietnam.
This week the DOT Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay met with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to sign into agreement the Tourism Cooperation Program.
The program seeks to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.
VietJet, Vietnams low-cost air carrier, also announced plans to introduce a direct flight between Ho Chi Minh City to Cebu very soon.
DENR Uncovers 84 Siquijor Resorts Without Papers
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has identified 84 Siquijor Resorts operating without approved applications, or the proper documentation. A further 23 coastal resorts with pending Foreshore Lease Applications (FLAs) were also flagged during assessment.
DENR has warned resort owners to comply with all legal easement requirements and foreshore regulations or face legal action and penalties.
DENR also reminded resort owners that Foreshore Areas are public domain, can only be utilized through a lease, not land titling, and that no construction should take place while FLAs are still under review.
Elsewhere in the country DENR has shut down or halted other resort constructions.
In Infanta, Quezon DENR issued a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) and a P50,000 fine, stopping construction at a resort that was found to be encroaching into a protected national park and wildlife sanctuary.
Davao DENR Reminds Tours Mt Apo Is Closed
Davao DENR put out a post on social media this week reminding tour operators, campers, trekkers and tourists that it’s now the annual off-season for Mt. Apo Natural Park.
The closure period, which runs from June to August, allows the national park to recover and rehabilitate, and ensure biodiversity preservation and development.
DOT Region VI Reminds Tourists To Transact With Verified Travel & Tour Agencies
Once again the Western Visayas DOT is reminding tourists planning to visit the region to ONLY transact with verified travel and tours agencies and DOT accredited establishments, after a rise in complaints about fake bookings and unscrupulous travel agencies.
“Our office has received multiple complaints involving fraudulent online travel agencies using falsified DOT Accreditation Certificates and fake Local Government Unit (LGU) Business Permits to scam unsuspecting travelers.
We strongly urge affected individuals to file a formal complaint with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) to ensure proper action against these illegal activities.”
If you suspect you have been scammed, or were almost a victim of a scam travel agency, use the follow contact details to log a complaint.
Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC)
Email: report@cicc.gov.ph
Hotline: 1326
Report Online: https://cicc.gov.ph/report/
Tourist Assistance Hotline: 151-TOUR (151-8687)
Mobile: +63 954-253-3215
Email: touristassistance@tourism.gov.ph
Agoda’s Tourism Workforce Skills Development
A tourism workforce skills development initiative has been launched in partnership with Agoda.
The initiative is part of a strategic partnership between the Department of Tourism and Agoda, which also includes sustainable tourism practices and joint marketing campaigns to promote the Philippines.
The training programs and workshops will include topics like digital transformation, service excellence, and industry best practices. The aim is to help frontline workers to strengthen their hospitality and customer service skills, and understand global travel trends and how they develop.
Israel’s Ambassador Tries To Repair Siargao Bridges
Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Dana Kursh, met with more than 70 Siargao Business owners and Stakeholders this week.
The meeting, originally planned as an in-person meeting, was held online to discuss recent incidents involving Israeli tourists on the island.
Participants were afforded the opportunity to raise their concerns, and ask questions. The Ambassador reconfirmed that the Embassy expects Israeli tourists to respect and follow local laws and regulations, and she emphasized that the majority of Israeli tourists respect and appreciate the Philippines, and its people.
“Our intention in visiting Siargao was to listen, to learn, and to strengthen cooperation with the local government, communities, and the business sector.” Israel Ambassador, Dana Kursh.
Business owners and stakeholders were encouraged to follow the proper channels when reporting incidents of misconduct by Israeli tourists.
Global Industry News Updates
UK Sees Over 1000 Flight Delays In One Day
The UK aviation network was hit by 1,092 flight delays and 58 cancellations on Thursday June 4, with major airlines like Aer Lingus, British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa among the affected flights.
Thousands of tourists and business travelers were affected, with Birmingham Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, and Norwich being some of the worst affected airports.
London Heathrow took the title though, with 40 canceled flights, and 456 delayed flights. 30 of those cancelled flights, and 290 delayed flights were with British Airways.
London Gatwick had one flight cancellation but had 352 delayed flights, mostly afternoon and evening flights. EasyJet was the worst affected airline with 186 delayed flights.
Manchester Airport had 6 cancelled flights, and 171 delayed flights. Jet2 and EasyJet again carried the worst of the delayed flights.
Birmingham Airport saw 4 cancelled flights, and 77 delayed flights.
Newcastle International Airport had 4 cancelled flights and 33 delayed flights.
On The Spot Tourist Fines Japan
Littering tourists now face on the spot fines of 2,000 Japanese Yen (P771) if caught littering.
Tensions have arisen among Japanese locals who are frustrated by the disregard to disposing of trash shown by many tourists and visitors
The new penalties are in place for the Shibuya Ward area – Japan’s famous commercial and entertainment hub – but will likely be expanded to other tourist areas.
Authorities will also be handing out fines to food and beverage store owners who do not have visible and accessible waste bins.
As many as 50 officials have been employed to patrol the areas around Shibuya, enforcing the new on the spot fines under the slogan “if you throw trash, you lose cash”.
UK’s National Blacklist For Abusive Flyers
The UK Department of Transport is giving strong consideration to introducing a national database list for abusive passengers.
The initiative would see the inclusion of disruptive passengers on a flying ban list, potentially restricting their access to all flights in to or out of the UK.
A government source told the BBC that “antisocial behaviour on flights is totally unacceptable. It threatens the safety of passengers and crew, and disrupts hard-earned holidays.”
Officials from the government department will meet with airlines later this month to consider how the ban list might work, particularly in light of GDPR – stringent data protection rules which currently restrict airlines from sharing the details of disruptive passengers with each other.
There has already been at least three incidents in 2026 on flights, in or out of the UK, which have resulted in aborted flights or diversions to nearby airports.
Portugal Strikes Affect Thousands Of Tourists
Thousands of tourists were affected this week by CGTP strikes. CGTP (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses) is the largest Union in Portugal and covers a wide range of sectors including Hospitality, Transport and Public Services.
Rail workers, public transport staff, ground handling, airport staff and cabin crew across the country voted to strike on Wednesday June 3.
The Cabin Crew Union president, Ricardo Penarróias, advised that as many as 500 flights by TAP, Jet2, Air Europa, Easy Jet and Ryanair, could be affected by delays or cancellations.
The strikes were called after proposed changes to labor laws were announced, which Unions say would remove the current caps on Outsourcing, and make it easier for employers to fire employees.
Scottish Island Closes To Tourists
A tiny island in Scotland has announced its closure to tourists this week, after an appearance on a TV show resulted in a surge in visitors.
The community-owned island of Ulva, in the Inner Hebrides, was featured in an interior design programme on BBC Scotland: Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel, which saw the restoration of Ulva House, a stately home.
The island is so small that only 16 people live on it, and the TV show has resulted in an unprecedented number of visitors to the island.
In order to give the residents, island and ferry service a rest, there will be no ferries available on Sundays. Tourists who already hold accommodation bookings with a Sunday arrival or departure, will receive alternative assistance to get between Mull and Ulva.
Did You Miss Our Bumper Industry News Updates last week? Read it here
