The latest Tourism and Hospitality Industry News Updates for the week ending 19 December 2025 brought to you by MY RANGGO Hospitality Magazine.
Industry News Headlines:
- Western Visayas DOT Issues Boracay Accommodation Warning
- Another Boracay Resort Escapes Electric Misery
- ADARA’s Asia Traveler Trends Report
- US Travel Association Speaks Out On New Visa Rules
- Airbnb Fined $75B
- Booking.com Facing Damages Payouts In Germany
- Increasing Importance Of Being AI-Ready
Western Visayas DOT Issues Boracay Accommodation Warning
Boracay hotels have been targeted by unscrupulous scammers on Social Media for months now, with fake hotel and resort business pages being created. The scammers intention is to trick potential guests into booking and paying for accommodation via Facebook.
It has become so rampant a problem that you would be hard pressed to find a Boracay Hotel that doesn’t appear to have two or even three social media accounts. The process to prove the authenticity of the hotels actual business page, secure the blue verified tick, and get the fake pages shutdown is frustratingly time consuming.
In the meantime, hotels have scrambled to pin posts to their Feeds warning potential guests against fake Facebook Accounts, to not send payments via Facebook, and to only make bookings through the hotel website, an OTA or a DOT-Accredited Travel Agency.
Now the Department of Tourism – Western Visayas Office has issued a Public Notice:
⚠️ TOURISM ADVISORY | PUBLIC NOTICE
The Department of Tourism Region VI advises the public to be cautious of fraudulent online accounts impersonating resorts and hotels in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan.
Tourists are encouraged to verify accommodations and transact only with DOT-accredited establishments to ensure safe and legitimate bookings.
For everyone’s information and guidance.
If you suspect you have been scammed, or are dealing with a scammer visit the DOT – Western Visayas Office Facebook Post for the cybercrime contact information.
Another Boracay Resort Escapes Electric Misery
As Boracay Island residents and businesses continue to experience issues with inconsistent electricity provision, another resort – Paradise Garden Resort & Convention Center – has qualified for the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).
Last month we reported on a group of Boracay businesses, who banded together in order to qualify for RAP. Qualifying for RAP allows businesses to choose their electricity provider.
Paradise Garden has now signed a RAP agreement with PrimeRES Energy Corporation and will source its power requirements from them, across six (6) of their facilities, which have a combined demand of approximately 850 kW.
GM, Edwin Raymundo told Boracay Informer
“This partnership with PrimeRES is a major step toward ensuring more efficient and cost-effective operations for our resort. The savings we expect from this shift will allow us to reinvest in improving guest experiences and expanding our services. It aligns perfectly with our long-term vision for Paradise Garden as a leading hospitality destination in Boracay.”
While not all of the power issues on the island lie with the only electricity provider in the area (AKELCO) – some of the issues lie with NGCP – the island has continued to be plagued by blackouts for more than a decade.
Some members of Boracay Foundation Inc have raised personal pleas to DOT Secretary, Christina Garcia Frasco, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to step in and bring the most recent round of blackout misery to an end.
Paradise Garden’s official switch to PrimeRes is expected to take place on 26 December 2025.
ADARA’s Asia Traveler Trends Report
ADARA’S Traveler Trends: APAC Winter 2025-26 Report is out. Based on real-time traveler intent data, it delivers some useful insights for emerging trends and traveler intent for 2026.
Hotel Bookings across APAC show a rise in Family and couple bookings, and fewer solo traveller bookings.
Destinations with family-friendly, and cultural experience attractions are attracting more visitors, as are wellness-oriented stays. Key is a ‘deeper appreciation for cultural authenticity, meaningful engagement and responsible tourism’.
While Mid-range and luxury hotel bookings continue to lead globally, in Asia Pacific more travelers opt for Mid-range hotels, or property rentals.
59% of bookings made in Asia-Pacific are for stays that are 10 days or longer, a shift that reflects continued flexible working arrangements and remote working, improved connectivity in destinations and interest in extended, immersive vacations.
Travelers continue to favor early planning and booking, booking flights, and accommodation 133 days prior to arrival date, to get the best discounts and deals, especially for Peak Season vacations.
However, the Philippines fails to rank in the list of the most searched for APAC destinations:-
21% Thailand
16% Japan
9% India
8% China
8% Australia
5% Vietnam
5% Indonesia
4% Maldives
2% Singapore
2% Malaysia
The Philippines also doesn’t rank among countries listed under the Emerging Destinations category.
This should be a cause for concern for the DOT and the country’s Hospitality and Tourism industry.
Global Industry News Updates
US Travel Association Speaks Out On New Visa Rules
The U.S. Travel Association has expressed their concerns about the US Governments proposal to heighten the Entry Requirements for international travelers.
Last week the US Government announced proposed changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application, which could take effect on 8 February 2026.
ESTA is a visa waiver program for travelers, that allows them to visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa. It’s available to travelers from around 42 countries, most of which are in Europe.
ESTA is also a requirement for travelers who have a layover in an American airport, or who are in transit to another destination.
The proposed ETSA requirements include:
- Submission of birth dates and birth places of parents, siblings, children and spouses, and their current residence
- All email addresses used over the last 10 years
- Login Details for all social media accounts from the last 5 years/or for all accounts to be set to Public view.
However, other foreign nationals who do not qualify for ETSA, have been required to share this information since 2019.
And many of these travelers have commented – on News and Social Media posts about the proposed requirements – that whilst they were already required to provide the information on their arrival forms, they entered the US without any issues.
A spokesman from the U.S. Travel Association said:
“If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker ….. One thing that isn’t in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the United States.”
Last week it was reported that the US is facing a 6% drop in International Visitor arrivals in 2025.
The US is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup (football) with Canada and Mexico, which is typically a big draw for people from all over the world, and a tourism revenue opportunity. But the high ticket price for matches are already being criticized by European fans.
Many have taken to social media to comment that – with the proposed visa and entry requirements, and the high ticket prices – they plan to stay home and watch on TV.
Airbnb Fined $75B
It was announced this week that Airbnb has been fined $75billion by the Spanish Consumer Rights Ministry, for continuing to promote unlicensed properties on their platform. See our Industry News Article earlier in the year for the background on this story.
Airbnb was Ordered in January 2025 to remove 65,000 unlicensed rental properties from its platform by July 1, 2025, in a move – by Spain – to address the rising rental costs and shortage of housing stock for local residents, particularly in high-tourism locations.
The $75billion fine is equivalent to six times the profit Airbnb earned from listing the unlicensed short-term rental properties. Airbnb have stated their intention to appeal the decision, on the basis that they are still in process of verifying and removing properties that do not meet the licensing requirements.
Airbnb also announced that 70,000 listings have been updated with license registration numbers since January 2025.
Booking.com Facing Damages Payouts In Germany
The Berlin II Regional Court ruled this week that up to 1,099 hotels in Germany are entitled to claim damages from Booking.com for price rate parity clauses, dating back to 2013-2016.
The court has ruled that the rate parity clauses, included in Booking.com’s contracts between 2013 – 2016, ‘unlawfully restricted hotels from offering better prices’. The clauses prevented hotels from offering lower prices on their own websites – impacting on their Direct Distribution channels – or with their other distribution channels.
The court upheld that the rate parity clauses also prevented hotels from being able to offer last-minute booking deals on their website, to fill empty rooms, impacting on revenue.
Booking.com has responded, accepting some of the courts findings, but rejected the decision regarding anti-competitive price parity clauses. They also argued that the parity clauses benefitted both travelers and hotel partners.
While the Court has determined that Booking.com is liable for damages, it did not set out any compensation levels. Claims for individual hotel losses will be determined in future court proceedings.
Tech Industry News Updates:
Increasing Importance Of Being AI-Ready
My Lighthouse highlights the importance of Hotels being AI-Ready in an article that includes some useful explanations and tips for optimizing hotel websites for AI Travel Agents.
AI, and AI Agents, are encroaching into the travel and hospitality industry at an accelerated rate. The speed of change that the world of AI is bringing to the business world is unprecedented. The article highlights that
“Netflix took ten years to reach 100 million users. Facebook did it in four and a half. ChatGPT reached the same mark in just over two and a half months, a five-hundred-fold acceleration”.
The Global OTA’s have rushed to adopt or adapt their platforms, to position themselves for the increasing numbers of travelers using AI to research (discovery), plan, compare and book vacations.
But – at the same time – we are seeing the early signs of change in traveler intent behavior, with more using OTAs for the discovery phase before booking direct with hotels (SiteMinder – Changing Traveler Report 2026).
And even though some OTA AI Agent platforms are already embedded in ChatGPT, it isn’t too late for hotels to position themselves for visibility.
What is key for being visible in AI platforms is clear, consistent information and machine-readable data e.g. accurate content, synchronized rates, and transparent policies. Which is set to rebalance the scales of the decades-old battle between hotels and the OTA powerhouses.
“Visibility will belong to those whose data can be read, trusted, and compared, whether the hotel is a global chain or a 30-room independent.” – My Lighthouse, How your hotel can succeed in the new age of AI distribution.
The My Lighthouse article stands out by spotlighting what hoteliers should focus on, and providing tips to help them optimize their website for AI Agents. We recommend prioritizing this now, so you’re ahead of competitors.
