Roundup of the Philippine and Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates for the week ending 8 August 2026.
Industry News Updates: Headlines
- Philippines On Track for 6.4M Visitors
- Cagayan de Oro Welcomes AirAsia Traveler Squad
- Boracay Mourns Environmental Advocate and Sports Tourism Champion.
- Clark Hotels Wins Luxury Lifestyle Award 2026
- Atok Residents Rise Up Against 4M Hotel Plan
- Residents Ranks Manila High With Time Out!
- Peru Tourist Plane Crashes Killing 13
- Fair Work Inspectors Recover $129,000AUD in Unpaid Salaries.
- UK National Park Launches “Pay With Care”
Philippines On Track for 6.4M Visitors
The H1 (Half 1) Stats are in and it looks like the Philippines is on track to meet the 6.4million inbound visitors goal set for 2026.
As of mid-June, 2,955,014 foreign national visitors had arrived in the country . In addition, 260,717 overseas Filipinos also visited the Philippines, bringing the total of inbound visitors to 3.16million – a 6.16% increase on 2025’s half-year arrival figures.
South Korea no longer leads as the top arrivals demographic, the United States of America claims that title with over 591,000 arrivals.
Japan comes in as the country with the second highest amount of travelers to the Philippines with over 581,000 visitors.
South Korea has dropped to third with nearly 553,000 visitors, and China has risen to fourth place with nearly 220,000 visitors to the Philippines.
Other nationalities showing healthy visitor growth include
- Australia – 12.3% growth
- Canada – 15.6% growth
- Taiwan – 11.85% growth
- UK – 1.7% growth
- India – 43.03% growth
Visitors from destinations requiring long-haul journeys generally stay longer and spend more, with greater spending in luxury accommodations and flights. while local Asian market travelers tend to book online with travel agencies but do spend in shops, dining out and traveling around.
However, domestic travelers still remain the highest demographic for the Philippines; 69.9% vs 30.1% International tourists.
Check the Business Mirror for full stats and details.
Cagayan de Oro Welcomes AirAsia Traveler Squad
Members of AirAsia’s Traveler Squad arrived in Cagayan de Oro this week, just in time for its famous Higalaay Festival, which started on August 7, 2026.
The Traveler Squad started off their visit with a City Walking Tour – dropping in to meet with City Mayor Rolando Uy, a visit to Cucina Higala for some authentic Northern Mindanao delicacies, and stop offs at the Sinulom Falls and Bolao Cold Spring.
The Squad will remain in the area to experience the Higalaay Festival which honors the feast day of St. Augustine; the patron saint of Cagayan de Oro City, and reflects the warm and welcoming spirit of the Kagay-anons.
The AirAsia Traveler Squad is an influencer and content creator brand ambassador program run by AirAsia.
Selected squad members benefit from sponsored trips and assignments in locations serviced by AirAsia flights, in exchange for stories and reels that document the destinations – and the flights.
The visit was organised in partnership with the Department of Tourism Northern Mindanao Office and the Department of Tourism Region Ten team.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the AirAsia Traveler Squad, make sure to follow AirAsia’s socials for announcements for the next recruitment round.
This years intake announcement went out at the start of April 2026. The baseline requirements are:-
- social media content creator with a demonstrated passion for travel, adventure and visual story telling.
- a minimum of 10,000 followers on your social media channel (Instagram, TikTok or YouTube).
In the meantime, you can build up your profile by applying for the AirAsia Affiliate Programme. You can earn up to 9% commission on flights and holiday bookings, AND developing content history that can help with your application for the Traveller Squad.
Boracay Mourns Environmental Advocate and Sports Tourism Champion.
Boracay Island is mourning the sudden passing of Nenette Aguirre Graf on August 7, 2026.
Nenette was a key driver in the development of Sports Tourism in the Philippines, long before it even became part of tourism terminology.
She has consistently championed Boracay as a location for Kiteboarding, Wind Surfing and Dragon Boat competitions, tirelessly campaigning to protect and improve the waters off Bulabog Beach, to ensure the islands met the water quality requirements for the International Competition circuits.
Nenette has always been a staunch environmental advocate, and defender of Boracay, becoming an SB and leading on local ordinances which included a ban on single-use plastics. She led on the Boracay Not Bora campaign, and was the driving force behind the creation and operation of Philippines’ first interactive museum; the Motag Living Museum.
Earlier this year Nenette received the prestigious Icon STAR Award by the Department of Tourism, in recognition of her environmental and sustainability advocacy for Boracay.
“Rest in peace, Ma’am Nenette. You will always be one of the island’s brightest lights, and your legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.” – Michelle Joven Molano, Henann Resorts.
It was a great privilege to have known you, and paddled with you Nenette, you will be fondly thought of and sadly missed by the My Ranggo team.
Clark Hotels Wins Luxury Lifestyle Award 2026
Swissotel Clark has won the Philippines’ Best Luxury Contemporary Hotel Award, at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2026.
The hotel which is located in the Clark Freeport Zone, and close to Clark International Airport, is a 5-star Accor Group, hotel with 372 rooms and suites.
Amenities at the hotel include an infinity pool, fitness center, its Pürovel Spa and direct access to the Hann Casino Resort.
Atok Residents Rise Up Against 4M Hotel Plan
Residents of Atok, Benguet are opposing plans for a 4million 50-70 roomed hotel, by Atok Hospitality Development Corp.
Atok which has just over 19,000 residents is known for its cool climate and scenic landscapes. It is more notable for its rich agricultural land, with the Northern Blossom Flower Farm and Haight’s Place as some of biggest attractions.
Residents and councilor’s have highlighted their concerns about the development of a large hotel in the region, flagging existing limited resources water and waste disposal resources.
The development plans for the hotel complex include conference halls, restaurants, spas, souvenir shops and transportation services.
While the plans cover facilities that might attract tourists and visitors, Atok Municipal Councilor Tomas has raised concerns that they could threaten the existing livelihoods of local homestay accommodation providers, cantinas and local eateries, and local guides and drivers.
Residents advocate that it’s Atok’s rustic farming community, and Paoay’s agricultural landscape, that attracts visitors to the area and this should be preserved and encouraged with investment to protect local livelihoods and ancestral domains.
The municipal council will be evaluating the development proposal and holding FPIC – Free, Prior and Informed Consent – Events, where residents can have their say.
Residents Ranks Manila High With Time Out!
Manila residents, surveyed by Time Out magazine, have placed the city in 4th place on the World’s Best Cities for Street Food list.
The rankings are based on a survey with 24,000 residents world wide. Residents were invited to rate the quality and affordability of their city’s food scene.
The street food list is drawn from that same survey, measuring how many locals in each city named street food as their city’s greatest culinary strength based on quality and affordability.
Street Food Rankings:
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 63%
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 62%
- Jakarta, Indonesia and Taipei, Taiwan each – 59%
- Manila, Philippines and Mexico City both – 58%
- Hanoi, Vietnam – 57%
- Bangkok, Thailand and Johannesburg, South Africa
- Mumbai, India and Marrakesh, Morocco
- Los Angeles, USA, Beijing China and Singapore
- Jaipur, India
- Guadalajara Mexico, Nairobi Kenya, Bucharest Romania and New Delhi India.
Global Industry News Updates
Peru Tourist Plane Crashes Killing 13
A plane owned by sightseeing airline Aerodiana, which flies tourists over the Nazca Lines, has crashed shortly after takeoff killing 13 people.
The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan had taken off from Pisco, Peru with 11 tourists and 2 pilots onboard. The plane lost contact with the control tour soon after departing and 20 minutes after takeoff it crashed in Pueblo Viejo, which is 12kms from the Nazca Lines.
The cause of the crash on Sunday August 2, is yet to be fully determined but the Ministry of Transportation and Communications have stated that the pilots contacted Nazca’s Control Towers shortly before the crash to report a mechanical problem with the plane.
An airline representative has said “Throughout our 18 years of operation, we have maintained an unwavering commitment to the safety of our passengers and crews. Therefore, this incident affects us deeply and reaffirms our willingness to cooperate with full accountability in whatever is required by the authorities,”
All of Aerodiana’s fleet are currently grounded on the orders of Peru’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications: “until investigations are completed to verify the company’s compliance with the applicable aviation regulations, procedures and operating requirements.”
The 11 tourists were all Europeans; seven were from Italy, two from Germany and two from Spain. The two pilots were from Peru.
Fair Work Inspectors Recover $129,000AUD in Unpaid Salaries.
Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman has warned it will continue to support surprise inspections, at hospitality venues across the country, after recovering $129,000AUD for 180 underpaid workers in just one location.
The office reports that surprise visits to the Hobart area in 2025, saw only 6 fully compliant fast food, cafés and restaurants; paying employees and maintaining records correctly.
22 other businesses were found to be non-compliant. 20 of those businesses had underpaid on salary base rates, and 18 had issues relating to pay slips and inaccurate record-keeping.
The businesses with pay slip and record keeping breeches were fined a total of $24,570Aud.
More than $129,000 in underpaid wages were recovered from 22 businesses in Bellerive, Hobart’s CBD, Howrah, Lindisfarne, North Hobart, Rosny and Rosny Park.
“Employers must ensure they are meeting their legal obligations to pay their workers proper base rates, penalty rates and overtime. Accurate pay slips and other records are also critical requirements,” Anna Booth, Fair Work Ombudsman.
UK National Park Launches “Pay With Care”
The Exmoor National Park in the UK has launched a “Pay With Care” initiative which will see tourists and visitors gaining discounts to use at its 3 Visitor Centers. https://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/exmoor-for-everyone/national-park-centres
Tourists can earn 20% discounts in its three Visitors Centers, which have exhibitions, cafes and retail shops. The discounts can be earned by picking up litter, recording sightings of particular wildlife, sharing positive social media posts, and traveling around the area by bike or public transport.
“We need to find a way of balancing people’s impacts [on the area], and what we are trying to do is encourage them to leave a positive impact,” – Dan James, Enterprise and Communications Manager Exmoor National Park.
Exmoor National Park is especially famous for its wild and free-roaming Ponies, as well as herds of red deer and there is other wildlife that can be spotted whilst there.
The initiative is similar to one launched in Copenhagen two years ago, and is aimed at encouraging environmental and sustainable behavior from visitors, while reducing some of the negative impacts of tourism.
In 2025, 25,000 visitors took part in Wonderful Copenhagen in just 9 weeks and were rewarded with freebies like coffee or free entrance to attractions and experiences. Visitors can register for the initiative by downloading the App: COPENPAY.
These types of initiatives could potentially work in high tourist areas in the Philippines too.
Madrid: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/madrid-breaks-tourism-record-tops-140017477.html
