Philippine and World Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates for the week ending 23 January 2026.
Industry News Updates & Headlines:
- CebPac Stuns OTA’s With Plane Re-routes
- ASEAN Tourism Forum Countdown
- 2025 International Arrival Numbers Discrepancy
- Promising 2025 Arrivals from US, Japan & Canada
- Airport Transit Tours Relaunched
- Lubao Balloon Festival 2026
- Portal Opens Up in BGC
- A Third of PH Visa Applications to US Denied
- Philippine Cocktail Week Set For February
- Philippine Embassy Posts Advisory to US Filipinos
- TripAdvisor’s Post-Covid Recovery At Risk
Industry News Updates – Philippines
CebPac Stuns OTA’s With Plane Re-routes
Cebu Pacific has stunned a number of prominent domestic OTA’s (Online Travel Agencies) with an announcement on January 22, that all CebGo and AirSwift turboprop flight routes, will be moved to Clark International Airport.
Effective from March 29, 2026 current CebGo and AirSwift flight routes between NAIA 2 and Busuanga Coron, El Nido and Naga will switch to Clark.
All are destinations that rely heavily on the tourism industry, and attract many foreign tourists. And domestic tour and travel operators fear this latest move will make traveling between destinations even more frustrating and time consuming for tourists – especially international tourists.
Those landing in Manila and wanting to travel on to Coron, El Nido, and Naga will now face – at minimum – a two hour bus or taxi journey between the NAIA and Clark Airports, plus incur additional travel costs to do so.
Flights to and from Siargao and Masbate have already been relocated to Clark, and with that has come online complaints about the high cost of those flights, which may or may not be connected to the airport move.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) has faced heavy criticism from netizens and Vloggers in recent months, for low international tourism arrivals. Poorly coordinated transportation between destinations, and expensive flight routes, have been cited as significantly impacting on tourists ability to maximize their vacation in the Philippines.
But this move appears to have been made without the DOT’s involvement.
The Manila Slot Coordination Committee – made up of the Department Of Transportation, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), and the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp (NNIC) – issued a Resolution back in July 29, 2025.
The resolution set out the relocation of all Turboprop planes to Clark International Airport to ease congestion, and maximize air traffic flow, at NAIA.
Travel & Tour Operator’s Concerns:
For domestic Travel and Tour Agents, and their over-seas travel partners, this move brings with it a logistical nightmare for travel coordination, higher fees, and difficulties in marketing the Philippines to international tourists. Many of whom wish to travel to a range of local destinations during their vacation.
Tour Packages will have to factor in added time and costs for transfers between Manila and Clark, and incompatible travel schedules for connections – whether flights or ro-ro’s. Likely this will come with additional, lost time waiting for the next plane, bus or boat.
The reality of this is, while Filipino’s may resiliently accept losing some of their time to travel schedule incompatibilities and inconvenience, international tourists don’t … and won’t. The majority do not experience it in their home countries, and they expect to spend as little of their valuable vacation time traveling between destinations as possible.
Countries like Thailand and Vietnam could become even more appealing than they already are. And Coron and El Nido could see a drop in tourists, as tour operators remarket packages to alternative Philippine destinations that offer cheaper and better accessibility.
For those who already have CebGo/AirSwift flights booked for after March 28:
Cebu Pacific offers the following options for travelers with confirmed bookings after March 28, for the affected flight routes:
- Rebook: If the new flight dates is within 30 days of the original flight date, travelers will not be charged a rebooking fee or pay any fare difference.
If the new flight booked is for a date beyond 30 days of the original flight, travelers will not pay a rebooking fee but will be liable for any fare difference costs.
- Refund to Travel Fund: Travelers can transfer the flight cost to their Cebu Pacific Travel Fund wallet. This money can be used at any point for different flights, or for fee-based add-ons like seat selection, inflight meals or checked in baggage.
- Full refund of the ticket
ASEAN Tourism Forum Countdown
The countdown to the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2026 has been underway for the last week, with prominent marketing across the Department of Tourism Facebook account.
The Forum kicks off on January 28, under the theme “Navigating Our Future Together”, and is being hosted by the Philippines as the ASEAN Chair 2026, in Cebu. The Forum will run until January 30, 2026.
The Philippines is expected to begin welcoming delegates from January 26 onwards. The Forum will see tourism Ministers, national tourism organizations and industry stakeholders arriving in Mactan, Cebu. The official opening ceremony will take place on January 28.
The ASEAN Travel Exchange (TRAVEX 2026) will also take part at the same time. This is an opportunity for “buyers and sellers” to connect with each other and build business partnerships. TRAVEX showcases destination services and products.
Many of the delegates are expected to stay in the country, until February 4, to take the opportunity to visit other Philippine destinations.
2025 International Arrival Numbers Discrepancy.
Discrepancies between the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Tourism’s international arrivals numbers in 2025 have been explained.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology, which oversees the eTravel platform records 5,865,319 foreign visitor arrivals.
The Bureau of Immigration however, has foreign arrivals in to the Philippines in 2025 at 5.940million, plus 543,000 overseas Filipinos (6.48million).
DOT Secretary, Christina Garcia Frasco explained that some arrivals do not register in the eTravel system. Foreign national arrivals who are exempt from completing the Philippines eTravel include
- diplomats
- employees of foreign governments
- members of international organizations, and
- delegates to certain official events
“We want to make sure that our reporting is complete and accurate in terms of foreign arrivals in the country, which is why we are aligning the data from the BI and the DICT’s eTravel. Because if we only use the eTravel, some foreign arrivals are not logged because of the exemptions.” – DOT Secretary, Christina Garcia Frasco
The DOT Secretary advised that a technical working group – created to analyze the discrepancies – also identified that some cruise, and charted flight, passengers had not been inputted in the eTravel.
BI recorded more than 50,000 cruise passengers in 2025, but eTravel shows only 30,000.
The workgroup went on to identify a trend in arrival numbers differences for cruise passengers in 2024 and 2023 as well.
Promising 2025 International Arrivals from US, Japan and Canada
While international arrivals from South Korea still topped the arrivals board in 2025, it was always expected that the arrival numbers would be significantly lower than 2024’s.
This drop in arrivals has been attributed to a number of prominent crimes against South Korean citizens at the start of 2025, and the travel warning announcement that swiftly followed from its Manila-based Embassy.
Arrivals from China were also lower in 2025, impacted by reduced flight routes to the Philippines and visa changes. Visa-free entry was implemented from January 16, 2026 for Chinese nationals visiting the Philippines for tourism or business purposes via Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Cebu.
It is hoped that this visa-free option will encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the Philippines in 2026.
The visa-free privilege allows for a non-extendable 14-day stay. It is also non-convertible – meaning it can not be converted to any other type of Philippine visa category.
The 2025 international arrival figures for tourists from America, Japan, Canada and Australia, may also provide the Philippines Department of Tourism with some hopeful optimism for 2026.
On Jan 20, DOT Secretary, Christina Garcia Frasco, told reporters that the Department of Tourism will direct more of the promotions budget to these emerging markets, and the key markets of South Korea and China, in 2026.
Airport Transit Tours Relaunched
The DOT announced this week that the Manila Airport Transit Tours have been relaunched.
Arriving visa-free foreign nationals, with outbound domestic flights on the same day – will have the option to book a Transit Tour to see the Manila sites from January 30 onwards.
But, at $50 per person (close to 3,000PH), it’s not a cheap tour!
And while the price does include the 49-seater air-con bus, accredited tour guide, entrance fees, insurance, water and a rain poncho, 2 of the 4 tour landmarks offered are only likely to appeal to a particular section of tourists.
Sites like Intramuros and the National Museum absolutely should be a tour option.
But Solaire and Okada are likely to appeal only to a small niche market. Whilst “world-class entertainment venues”, what they offer can be found anywhere in the World. Both are well known for their casinos and, arguably, don’t offer much in the way of insights into the Filipino culture or heritage.
The tours are aimed at travelers with at least an 8-hour layover, and will last a maximum of 4 hours. This is broken down into – 1 hour with a Tour Guide, 1 hour of free time to wander, two hours allowance for return travel journey, and sufficient time for checking back in to the airport and going through security etc.
Lubao Balloon Festival 2026
The Lubao Balloon And Music Festival will take place on March 7-8, 2026, at Pradera Verde in Lubao, Pampanga.
The festival returned in April 2025 after a six year gap, and welcomed more than 75,000 people over the weekend, including tourists.
26 hot air balloons from around the world, including Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam took to the sky. The evening concerts, featured a line-up of OPM (Original Philippines Music) artists and DJ’s.
And 2026 will be no different. This year it will once again feature colorful hot air balloons and live music performances.
1-Day Pass
General Admission – Php 500
VIP – 1,500
2-Day Pass
General Admission – Php 800
VIP – Php 2,500
Click here to purchase tickets or call 470-2222
Portal Opens Up in BGC
A portal to the world opened up in BGC (Bonifacio Global City), Manila on Wednesday 21 January 2026. No – it’s not sci-fi, just a live feed portal that allows viewers to see and interact with other people elsewhere in the World.
“Portals” is a public art project created by artist Benediktas Gylys. The interactive, circular sculptures can be found in several countries, and are connected via a 24/7 live-feed.
The following countries have – or have had – a live-feed Portal:
- Vilnius, Lithuania (first installed in 2021).
- Lublin, Poland (first installed in 2021).
- Dublin, Ireland (on O’Connell Street).
- New York City, USA (Flatiron South Plaza)
- Philadelphia, USA (LOVE Park).
- Ipswich, United Kingdom
The installations feature high-definition cameras and screens that provide a live, real-time video feed between locations. The project aims to promote unity, global connectivity, and to allow people to interact with others outside of their own country and culture.
Philippine Cocktail Week Set For February
The 2026 Philippine Cocktail Week (PHCW) will take place between February 5-8, 2026 in venues in BGC, Legazpi Village, Makati Cinema Square, Poblacion and Jupiter, Quezon City and San Juan.
Philippine Cocktail Week is a unique city-wide, collaboration between 28 manila-based bars and 28 of the world’s most celebrated cocktail bars.
Bar Us (Bangkok), COA (Hong Kong), Dry Wave Cocktail Studio (Bangkok), Hope & Sesame (Guangzhou), Vesper (Bangkok), Virtù (Tokyo) and Zest (Seoul) are just 7 of the 28 international cocktail bars that will be pairing up with local bars in Manila.
The collaboration concept aims to be an exchange where global perspective meets Filipino hospitality to create one-night only menus and experiences.
Follow the Philippine Cocktail Week Instagram account for details on dates, bars and locations
Global Industry News Updates
A Third of PH Visa Applications to US denied
2025 Data from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs shows that nearly 31% of US Tourist Visa Applications by Filipino’s are denied.
The Philippines has the 3rd highest number (30.76%) of Tourist visa Application denials among other Asian nationalities, just behind applications from Laos and Myanmar.
Factors Influencing Denial:
Strong Home Ties: Lack of economic, social, or family ties to the home country increases risk of denial.
Interview Performance: Poor preparation or inconsistency during the interview is a major factor.
Some visa denials can be overturned – known as “overcome” – if new information or changed circumstances submitted establishes an applicant’s eligibility for the visa. The visa is then issued.
Philippine Embassy US Posts Advisory to Filipinos
The Philippine Embassy, in Washington DC, US, posted an important advisory regarding Philippine Citizenship and Balikbayan Privilege on January 16, 2026.
The Advisory served to remind Filipinos in the United States that under Philippine Law, natural-born Filipinos who become a naturalized US citizen are considered ‘former Filipinos” – they have given up their Philippine Citizenship.
This means if they travel to the Philippines they can not use their Philippine passport, even if it is still valid date-wise. They can still travel to the Philippines and enter without needing a visa or a return flight ticket, under the Balikbayan visa-free privilege, which allows a stay for up to one year.
Former Filipinos can either apply to become a dual citizen or re-acquire Philippine citizenship, if they wish to still have a Philippine passport.
TripAdvisor’s Post-Covid Recovery At Risk
TripAdvisor’s post pandemic recovery is at risk. Having diversified its remit, and partnering with various brands to encourage people to use it on a more regular basis, TripAdvisor is believed to be struggling once again.
TripAdvisor’s financial reports in early 2026 show mixed results, with recent Q3 2025 earnings beating EPS (Earnings Per Share) but missing revenue targets, leading to negative sentiment, slowing growth in the core TripAdvisor brand (hotels/OTAs), stock drops, analyst downgrades, and concerns about core brand weakness against competitors.
Key Takeaways from Recent Reports (Late 2025/Early 2026):
- Traffic & Competition Issues: The core brand faces challenges with declining organic traffic and increased competition from other travel platforms, including Google.
- Stock Performance: Shares declined following recent reports, with analysts cutting price targets and issuing “Reduce” ratings
- Strategic Shifts: TripAdvisor is focusing on integrating its Viator (experiences) segment and implementing cost-saving measures, with growth now coming more from non-hotel segments.
- Analyst Sentiment: While some see potential in diversification, many analysts remain cautious, concerned about the core business’s long-term trajecto
In 2021 TripAdvisor strengthened its partnership with the Trip.com Group to expand its “Tripadvisor Plus” subscription service. This included access to preferential pricing for over 10,000 properties, helping to drive user engagement and bookings.
TripAdvisor forged collaborations with data platforms like Snowflake and Simon Data to enhance its marketing capabilities and improve user insights. And the brand launched its “Vacations Miss You” campaign, in partnership with Stink Studios, to stimulate demand.
More recently TripAdvisor collaborated with AI platform Perplexity to integrate AI for trip planning, and with technology partner Revinate for guest feedback features.
TripAdvisor’s recent financials show a decline in its OTA (Online Travel Agency) bookings resulting in slow revenue growth. This is at a time when its competitors Expedia, Booking Holdings, and Airbnb’s are heavily investing in AI Tech and reporting booking growth.
Source: Seeking Alpha TripAdvisor Falling Behind In Travel Race Downgrade
