Industry News Updates for the Philippine and Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry for the week ending January 30, 2026.
Industry News Updates & Headlines:
- DOT Secretary Speaks Out On PH Travel Prices
- Lumpia Queen Set To Star In Melbourne
- ASEAN Tourism Roadmap 2026-2030 Launched
- Foreign National Detained After Shabu Discovery
- AirAsia Forgets 23 Passengers in Thailand.
- Philippine Hotel Group To Build in Australia
- China’s Findings So Far On Trip.com
DOT Secretary Speaks Out On PH Travel Prices
The DOT Secretary acknowledged the rising complaints on social media about the cost of travel and tourism in the Philippines this week.
Speaking to reporters at the ASEAN Tourism Forum, Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco advised that online complaints about expensive airfares was of high importance to the department. She stated that she had already started discussions with the Department of Transport and Civil Aeronautics Board.
Frasco did not provide much detail about the discussions held so far. But one proposal put forward, has been the suggestion of a monthly publication detailing the price index of airfares.
Lumpia Queen Set To Star In Melbourne
Abi Marquez, otherwise known as the Lumpia Queen, will make her Australian culinary debut at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2026 in March.
Abi went viral on TikTok in 2022, with her cooking series, filmed in her family kitchen. Abi’s inventive culinary style quickly gained a global following, as did her lumpia series in February 2022, which eared her the nickname “Lumpia Queen”.
Partnering with fellow Filipino, Chef Morris Danzen Catanghal – winner of the Italian cooking competition show “Gino Cerca Chef” – the pair will present a special one-day-only Boodle Brunch, in collaboration with South Melbourne café Nine Yards.
The exclusive Boodle Brunch will be held on March 28, and offers diners a four-course communal feast that blends Filipino flavors with Australian ingredients, while reimagining the tradition of boodle-style, hands-only dining.
Do you have friends or family in Melbourne? Tickets for the Boodle Brunch are selling out fast but can be bought via the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival website.
You can learn more about Abi and Chef Morris, in an exclusive interview with MY RANGGO that is set to be released in February.
ASEAN Tourism Roadmap Launched
Tourism ministers launched the “ASEAN Tourism Roadmap 2026-2030” on January 29, at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Tourism Forum in Cebu.
Officially called the Declaration on the Implementation of the ASEAN Tourism Sectoral Plan 2026-2030 (ATSP), it sets out how the region will commit to stronger tourism cooperation and development.
The Plan focuses on:-
- Resilient Tourism
- Empowering the Tourism workforce
- Accessible & Seamless Travel
- Digital Tourism
- Product, Market and Sustainable tourism diversification.
KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) will measure factors such as International Arrival numbers, per-visitor spending, and tourism receipts, across the regions. These will be benchmarked against each country to assess the progress achieved.
International Arrivals into Asia for 2030 have been predicted to be around 201million tourists – which would be a 51% increase on ASEAN arrivals during 2025.
Foreign National Detained After Shabu Discovery
A foreign national, arriving at NAIA Terminal 3 on January 26, 2026 has been detained upon discovery of six kilograms (6kgs) of shabu in his luggage.
Information about the drug mule had been provided to the Bureau of Customs Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA), ahead of his flight arrival.
BOC-NAIA, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-IADITG), stopped and searched the man and his luggage.
Approximately 6,006 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), with a value of PHP 40,840,800.00, was discovered, concealed inside the luggage.
The foreign national, and the shabu, has been turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) ahead of inquest proceedings for violations of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, as amended) and Republic Act No. 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act).
“This successful interception highlights the effectiveness of intelligence sharing and joint operations in stopping illegal drugs at our ports of entry. The Bureau remains firm in protecting our borders and communities.” – Ariel F. Nepomuceno, BOC Commissioner
Global Industry News Updates
AirAsia Forgets 23 Passengers in Thailand!
It has been reported that 23 Passengers were left behind on the tarmac at Don Mueang Airport on January 17, 2026. A formal complaint was lodged yesterday, on January 29.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has ordered that Thai AirAsia explain how 23 of its 136 checked-in passengers were left behind as flight FD3116 to Hat Yai, taxied down the runway and prepared to take off.
The issue of the missing passengers was flagged not by the cabin crew, but by one passenger, who realized her travel companion was not on board. Allegedly the cabin crew told the passenger that her friend, who had boarded a different shuttle bus, had just missed the flight.
The passenger telephoned her friend and it was then revealed that she, and 22 other passengers were stuck in a shuttle bus. The bus had experienced a door malfunction, trapping them inside.
Concerns have been raised that Thai AirAsia failed to undertake a passenger count, either during boarding or before departure. And that there appeared to have been no communication between the ground staff, bus drivers and cabin crew.
AirAsia has issued an apology and will be undertaking a thorough investigation.
Philippine Hotel Group To Build in Australia
Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp, a Nasdaq-listed subsidiary of DoubleDragon Corp. is set to build a 766-room hotel in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia.
It is expected that the latest Hotel101, which will include a conference center and meeting rooms, will be complete in 2029. At the time of reporting, it will be the biggest hotel in Melbourne – by room count.
Hotel101 has been working to build its international property portfolio throughout 2025, with a target of achieving a presence in 25 countries by the end of 2028.
This includes:-
- 10 Hotels in Saudi Arabia (partnership with Horizon Group)
- 2 hotel development projects in Cambodia (August 2025),
- A 429-room project in San Donato Milanese, Milan (November 2025).
- and Hotel properties in Niseko, Japan, Los Angeles, USA and Madrid, Spain
China’s Findings So Far On Trip.com
We highlighted China’s antitrust probe into Trip.com’s practices in our Industry News Updates January 16.
The investigation comes after
- complaints from hoteliers about exclusivity demands by Trip.com
- visibility ranking based on lowest price offers.
Hoteliers allege they have being required to offer the lowest possible prices, and subscribe to Trip.com’s frequent discount campaigns, in order to be visible to potential guests searching for accommodation on the platform.
Further investigation will also be carried out to establish if Trip.com’s regular discount campaigns – with hotels required to offer room rate discounts of at least 15% – have contributed to the erosion of hotel profitability, and the room rate revenue stagnation in China.
