Bringing you the Philippine and Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates for the week ending April 24, 2026.
Industry News Updates & Headlines:
- HSMA Brings Forward September Online Sale
- Trouble/d Bridge Over Boracay Waters
- Jet Fuel Issues Impact PH Flights Before June
- Hospitality Workers Needed In Albania!
- World Travel Awards Voting Open
- Award-winning The Lind’s Plans to Expand
- Next Big Food Entrepreneur 2026 Winners Announced.
- Qatar Takes A Filipino Flavor Journey
- Filipino Food Showcased In Singapore
- Mexican Budget Airline Cancels All Flights
- Booking.com In Firing Line In Italy
- AGODA Denies 82M Records Breach
- Trust Gap For AI Travel Bookings
- TripAdvisor Beta Tests AI Trip Planning Tool
- SiteMinder Hotels To Connect To AI Travel Planning Tool.
HSMA Brings Forward September Online Sale
The Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) has brought its annual September Online Sale (SOS) forward to May with the aim of helping Filipino’s plan ahead for their vacation, amid rising travel costs.
This years SOS will run from April 24-May 24 and offers deals with 69 properties throughout the Philippines. Some are offering as much as 70% off.
Destination Properties offered in the SOS include:
- Bonifacio Global City (BGC)
- Boracay
- Bohol
- Cebu
- Davao
- Iloilo
- Makati
- Manila
- North Luzon
- Palawan
- Pasig
- Quezon City
- South Luzon
The savings and deals can only be found on the HSMA website.
Trouble/d Bridge Over Boracay Waters
Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member Alan Palma, from Boracay, has invited DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to attend the next plenary, to discuss the process that led to San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC) being awarded a Caticlan-Boracay Bridge Project.
SB Alan Palma Palma has said he would like Secretary Vince Dizon, or a DPWH Region 6 representative, to attend and explain what was discussed and negotiated with regards to a Boracay Bridge Project.
Palma proposed the topic be discussed during the upcoming 10th Regular Session of the Town Council Sangguniang Bayan, Malay.
In particular how the DPWH issued a Notice of Award, worth P 7.78 billion, on March 25, 2026 via the Public-Private Partnership PPP Bids and Awards Committee when the SB Malay City Council and the Province of Aklan were unaware it was being discussed or debated on.
The SB Malay City Council and the Province of Aklan have passed a resolution opposing the construction of the Caticlan Boracay Bridge Project.
Jet Fuel Issues To Impact PH Flights Before June
Philippine flight companies are already looking to adjust their flight schedules as international industry experts warn fuel shortages will be felt by June, if not before.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has already adjusted its May flight schedule to prioritize high-demand routes, while cutting other routes and flights by 10% compared to May 2025. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific has adjusted the volume of flights and routes for the period May and October 2026.
Both airlines have stated that – with the flight and route adjustments – they have enough fuel to operate until end of June. They are also actively sourcing more fuel.
According to Cirium, an aviation analyst group, Asian airlines have been most impacted by fuel shortages, and Malaysian and Indonesian flight carriers are also cutting their flights by between 10% to 15%.
Hospitality Workers Needed In Albania!
Albania has around 20,000 jobs open to Filipinos with a hospitality, tourism or services industry background.
However, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) here have advised that it is ‘early days’ and they are still in talks with representatives from Albania, including Albania’s Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Ermal Muça.
The issues that need to be finalised include establishing mobility and deployment frameworks, accreditation requirements for Albanian employers and welfare protocols and protection for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
World Travel Awards Voting Open
The Department of Tourism is encouraging Filipino’s and tourists alike to vote for Philippine destinations in the 2026 World Travel Awards.
The Philippines has been awarded Asia’s Leading Dive Destination for seven consecutive years, and the DOT is hoping that 2026 will see it achieving the title for the 8th year in a row.
The other Award Categories where the Philippines is hoping to rank are:
- Asia’s Leading Beach Destination
- Asia’s Leading Island Destination
- Asia’s Leading Tourist Board
- Asia’s Leading Luxury Island Destination – Boracay
- Asia’s Leading Wedding Destination – Cebu
- Asia’s Leading Cultural City Destination – City of San Fernando, Pampanga
- Asia’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destinations – Clark Freeport Zone
- Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction – Intramuros
- Asia’s Leading Regional Nature Destination – Province of Aurora
How to Vote:
- Register at www.worldtravelawards.com/vote
- Verify your email address
- Log-in and vote
- Vote before 17 July 2026.
Award-winning The Lind’s Plans to Expand
The Lind Hotels is reportedly planning to expand the brand with new hotels in Coron and Siargao in 2027 and beyond.
The Lind’s flagship property in Boracay was recently included in the MICHELIN Guide 2025 – not bad for an independent home-grown brand!
The brand has already established itself as one that is strong on both guest personalization and high service standards, securing guest loyalty and repeat visitor stays.
No details about the Siargao resort have been released but The Lind Coron resort will focus on an exclusive location with villa set-up, a dive center, spa and wellness features, and multiple restaurant options.
Next Big Food Entrepreneur 2026 Winners Announced.
PokéBee was named as the grand winner of the Next Big Food Entrepreneur 2026 (NBFE) this week, during the finals held at Mercato Centrale, in Bridgetowne, Pasig.
With between 6-10 locations around Manila, Mercato Centrale doesn’t only consider itself as a food market brand, it also operates as a small food business incubator, helping small food businesses to develop the skills to grow and succeed.
Big Names that started out at a Mercato Centrale food-market include Thai Mango, Mama Lou’s and Tokyo Tempura.
This year, 60 businesses entered the NBFE with 10 making it through to the finals at Bridgetowne.
The 10 business each had a stall at the Bridgetowne location, to sell their products to the public. The competition judges visited each stall, and measured the dishes and products against each other for concept, flavor, execution and public response.
Grand Winner: PokéBee sells Hawaiian-style poke bowls, made with fresh fish, home-made sauces and customizable toppings.
In winning the NBFE 2026, husband and wife team Goldwin and Vina Garcia have secured themselves a six months rent-free stall at any Mercato Centrale food market location, plus mentorship and partner support from the brand.
Other 2026 Winners:
- NBFE 2026 1st Runner Up: Agepan Japanese Fried Bread
- NBFE 2026 2nd Runner Up: Ancestre
- Magnolia Culinary Edge Award: Jhay’s Kitchen
- GCash Business Rising Award: Cube Bread MNL
Qatar Takes A Filipino Flavor Journey
As part of Filipino Food Month 2026 – a month long celebration and promotion of Filipino food – the Philippine Embassy in Qatar has launched a 2-week food campaign.
The campaign will run from April 26 until May 10 under the title ‘Connected by Taste: A Journey of Filipino Flavors in Qatar’ to promote cultural and culinary connections between the Philippines and Qatar.
Ten restaurants and hotels are offering either special menus or celebratory evenings promoting the Philippines’ cultural heritage.
Diners are also invited to share their dining and taste experience on social media with the hashtag #ConnectedByTaste to be in with the chance of winning exclusive prizes and dining vouchers.
Participating Hotels and Restaurants can be found here.
Filipino Food Showcased In Singapore
The Food & Hospitality Asia 2026 expo launched in Singapore this week, with the Philippines Pavilion taking center stage to showcase the country as a global food exporter.
Products being promoted within the pavilion were both internationally certified and halal-ready, including organic coconut-based foods, pili nuts, coffee, artisanal gin, sauces, condiments, and organic snack items.
The Pavilion has been visited by regional buyers and industry stakeholders excited to try new products and build partnership opportunities.
The expo ends today, so Sales Lead figures from the event have not yet been assessed.
Industry News Updates: Global News
Mexican Budget Airline Cancels All Flights
A Mexican budget airline has cancelled all flights for at least 2 weeks, reportedly because of “Logistical Issues”.
Magnicharters CEO Gabriel Bojórquez announced on April 11 that the entire fleet was to be grounded until at least May.
Thousands of tourists were stranded in destinations and airports in Cancún, Yucatán and Oaxaca.
The Mexican government and Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) had to step in to coordinate accommodation and flights home with alternative carriers, with special evacuation flights out of Cancún which had the highest amount of stranded holiday makers and travelers.
Booking.com In Firing Line In Italy
Booking.com is currently in the “firing line” in Italy primarily due to an antitrust investigation launched by the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), regarding alleged unfair commercial practices that may mislead consumers and harm competition.
The investigation is focusing on how the platform ranks and displays accommodation, specifically regarding its “Preferred Partner” tier programs.
The AGCM is investigating whether Booking.com’s “Preferred Partner” and “Preferred Partner Plus” programs give better visibility to the hotels that pay higher commissions. Rather than basing hotel visibility rankings on those that offer the best quality or value for money.
The regulator believes that by labeling these high-commission hotels as “preferred,” Booking.com misleads customers into thinking these options are “preferred” based on quality, resulting in them booking more expensive accommodation than originally intended.
The regulator is also investigation whether the Preferred Partner and Preferred Partner Plus programs places pressure on hotels to pay higher commissions in order to maintain visibility, creating a “pay-to-play” system that hurts independent hotels.
Booking.com has stated that it is cooperating with the Italian authorities, and asserts that its partner programs are optional and comply with consumer protection regulations.
AGODA Denies 82M Records Breach
Agoda denies the claims that 82 million customer records have been stolen from its systems. This despite a threat actor allegedly posting a dataset – purportedly from Agoda – on a prominent cybercrime hacker forum, with threats to sell the complete data.
The incident has been revealed amid existing cybersecurity concerns after a confirmed breach of Booking.com, Agoda’s sister company, earlier this month. The stolen 82 million records relate primarily to Malaysian customers.
The Threat Actor provided a sample of 23 records, which researchers at Cybernews found to be “legit” in format, containing names, phone numbers, email addresses, hotel addresses, and Malaysian National Registration Identity Card (IC) numbers, frequently targeted in regional scams.
Agoda however has investigated the claim, and declared that it is not their data, pointing to some of the data fields in the hacker’s sample – which they do not collect – as proof it is not theirs.
Security analysts have also flagged the legitimacy of the 82 million figure claim, as it exceeds the current adult population of Malaysia.
Analysts suggest that the 82 million customers data is more likely to be a repackaged dataset from previous breaches, particularly as it does not include booking dates. And that, in the current climate, threat actors may be repackaging old or scraped data to appear as a new, massive breach in order to extort companies.
As of now, the incident is considered an unverified dark web claim.
Industry News Updates: Tech News
Trust Gap For AI Travel Bookings
The Expedia Group’s April 2026 “[AI Trust Gap]“ study, is the result of a survey undertaken with over 5,700 adults across the US, UK, and India.
The survey reveals that while more people are using AI platforms to plan their travels or holidays, they still prefer established brands to complete and pay for bookings.
Key Findings on AI Travel Agents (2026 Survey):
Planning vs. Booking: Travelers embrace AI for inspiration and research:
- 53% use AI to suggest travel options
- 42% have used or would use AI to monitor prices
- 40% use AI to help build itineraries
- 48% of the respondents said that using AI saves them time and helps them discover places they wouldn’t have found otherwise
The Trust Factor:
- 66% of respondents would not trust an AI agent to buy or book travel
- 40% are concerned about poor customer service if something goes wrong after AI has made a purchase
- 68% said they would prefer to book with a trusted travel brand or OTA, rather than an AI chatbot or agent
- Only 8% feel comfortable booking travel through an AI platform.
The report further highlighted that search engines and OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) do still continue to lead overall as the preferred route for planning. 59% of people still prefer to use search engines and 49% use OTA’s.
Respondents cited concerns about data security (57%) and misuse of personal information (56%) as key reasons for being reluctant to complete and pay for a booking via an AI Platform.
A similar traveler intent survey has also just been released with comparative findings. Undertaken in America by Dune7 – a Travel Marketing Agency, and Flesh & Bone – a market research firm, they surveyed over 1,000 American adults.
71% of their respondents said they would be interested in using an AI Agent/Travel Assistant capable of managing the whole booking process, from search to payment. However, the barriers to AI Travel Agents being widely adopted included: –
- Concerns about difficulties reversing AI errors
- Uncertainty about where responsibility would fall for any errors or if something goes wrong
- Lack of human support in the event of problems or concerns
- Personal data privacy
TripAdvisor Beta Tests AI Trip Planning Tool
TripAdvisor has recently announced a partnership with Nebius, Nexla and Nvidia, for the development of an AI-powered end-to-end travel planning tool.
The tool was showcased at the recent Nvidia GTC 2026, using a social media influencers video to demonstrate the features. The tool extracted the locations and experiences shown in the reel, cross-referencing them with data from TripAdvisor before delivering a personalized, ready-to-book itinerary.
Writing on LinkedIn, Rahul Todkar VP and head of Data and AI, said that TripAdvisor has been looking for ways to make travel planning simpler, smarter and more personalized.
The tool is currently being beta-tested.
SiteMinder Hotels To Connect To AI Travel Planning Tool.
SiteMinder has extended its Demand Plus and Channels Plus services beyond traditional metasearch – Google, TripAdvisor – to include AI-enabled agents, allowing its hotel partners to be visible in, and directly acquire bookings from, AI citations and conversations.
Key ways SiteMinder is driving this shift include:
Real-Time Data Access (MCP): SiteMinder uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to provide AI platforms with live, accurate hotel inventory and rates, ensuring AI-generated recommendations are bookable.
Expanding AI Search Visibility: The platform connects hotels to AI-powered travel planning tools, making properties discoverable in conversational AI environments like ChatGPT, which are increasingly used by travellers to find and select accommodation.
Extending Demand Plus: SiteMinder has extended its Demand Plus service beyond traditional metasearch (Google, TripAdvisor) to include AI-enabled agents, allowing hotels to directly acquire bookings from AI conversations.
Enhancing Channel Management: Channels Plus is updated to include AI-driven intermediaries, ensuring hotels remain visible on both traditional and AI-based channels.
These developments allow hotels to automatically capture demand from new AI platforms without managing new, complex partnerships individually.
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