A roundup of Hospitality and Tourism Industry News Updates taking place over the Christmas & New Year holidays, and up to 9th January 2026
Industry News Updates Headlines
- Fake CebuPacific Tickets Leave Christmas Travelers Stranded
- New Hanoi-Cebu Flights Launched
- Christmas Flights Launched Manila-Mongolia
- Netizens Criticise DOT Secretary
- Bali & Thailand To Screen Tourist Finances
- Hilton Drops ICE Cancellation Hotel
- US Tourism Drops Further
- Expedia Partners With Amazon’s Alexa+
Fake CebuPacific Tickets Leave Christmas Travelers Stranded
Social Media lit up with posts from Filipino’s caught out by scam Cebu Pacific bookings in the lead up to Christmas. And some didn’t learn their bookings were fraudulent until arriving at the airport to check-in.
In response, on the 19th December 2025, Cebu Pacific issued a warning to travelers that bookings made via unauthorized channels would not be honored by them. The post included a reminder for travelers to book their flights directly, through CEB’s official website, mobile app, or with accredited travel partners.
In a 23 December follow-up post on their Facebook account Cebu Pacific advised that they, and the NBI had established more details about the scam, and were in the process of identifying the “unauthorized sellers”.
The scam involved fraudsters making bookings with fraudulent or stolen Bank and Credit Card details. This was then converted into Travel Funds and resold via at least four (4) Facebook groups. The fraudulent groups listed below were also removed from Facebook:
- Cebu Pacific Refund
- Cebu Pacific Travel Fund (For Sale)
- Cebu Pacific Air
- Cebu Pacific Piso Fare/Promo Ticket/Low Fare
Passengers caught out by the scam received emails from Cebu Pacific advising them to book new flights direct through www.cebupacificair.com, using a “valid and authorized form of payment”
New Hanoi-Cebu Flights Launched
Vietnam Airlines announced the launch of direct flights between Hanoi, Vietnam and Cebu. It is hoped the new route, which will see three flights a week, will strengthen both international and domestic tourism between the two countries.
Vietnam has seen its highest level of international arrivals in 2025, with arrivals reaching nearly 21.2 million. This is up more than 20.4% from 2024, highlighting the Vietnamese travel industry’s strong recovery after the pandemic.
Direct flights will make traveling on from Vietnam to the Philippines easier, and more attractive to international travelers, particularly back-packers and remote workers traveling around Asia.
The flights from Cebu to Hanoi departs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The flights from Hanoi to Cebu will depart every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
“The Hanoi to Cebu service represents more than just a new route. It strengthens cultural and economic connections between Vietnam and the region, creating new opportunities for travel and collaboration.” – Dang Anh Tuan, Executive Vice President, Vietnam Airlines.
Christmas Flights Launched Manila-Mongolia
Hunnu Air LLC began operating special charter flights late December between Mongolia and Manila, Philippines, coinciding with the start of Mongolia’s Peak Winter Travel Season.
While Mongolian arrivals in the Philippines is low – they are currently 56th in the Inbound market ranking – it is proposed that this is due to the lack of direct flights. Prior to December 2025 Mongolian tourists traveling to the Philippines had to transit via other countries, which sometimes also required visa’s.
Direct flights will make visits to the Philippines easier and more attractive to Mongolian travelers seeking warmer climes during the Christmas season.
The four rotational flights have been operating since 26 December but will complete on 10 January 2026.
Netizens Criticise DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco
Netizens took to social media, during the last weeks of 2025 and start of 2026, criticizing both the Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT), and the DOT Secretary, Christina Garcia Frasco.
The criticism has focused heavily on:
- The lack of destination promotions on DOT Facebook Page
- The visibility of the DOT Secretary on the DOT Facebook Page (and front page of a magazine publication)
- The Low International Visitor numbers for 2025 compared to Asian neighbours and previous years
Other criticism has included:
- The number of overseas junkets attended by DOT Secretary and Officers,
- The use of expensive Conference Halls for Expo’s that price-out small businesses and enterprise vendors
- The high cost of internal/domestic flights
- The high cost of accommodation (and the low standards of accommodation, and service, for that price in comparison to Thailand and Vietnam)
- The price of tours and activities
- The price of food in restaurants and bars
- The number of fees added to everything, hiking up final vacation costs
Visit our article Philippine DOT Criticism Fair or Unfair? for our thoughts on the accusations.
Global Industry News Updates
Bali & Thailand To Screen Tourist Finances
In moves to reduce the numbers of short term, low spend travelers, Bali and Thailand Tourism and Immigration Departments are both considering placing a greater focus on screening the finances of arriving international visitors.
The proposed checks won’t just look at the foreign nationals account funds on the day of arrival but will also track back 3 months prior to arrival date. The bank account checks are not a new measure. They have previously been applied to arrivals at the discretion of Immigration Officers.
Both countries are also looking to curb the number of foreign nationals living, and sometimes working, in Bali and Thailand on Tourist Visa’s. They will be evaluating international arrivals on their intended length of stay, and accommodation and tourism activities bookings.
Bali saw the highest level of tourism arrivals in its history in 2025, and there is recognition that the result of increasing arrival numbers has placed environment and infrastructure under pressure.
“It is important to determine which foreign tourists are allowed to enter and which are not, so that visitors do not cause problems and instead contribute positively, particularly to the tourism sector …… Going forward, we will focus on quality tourism, not merely on numbers, through regional regulations and improved tourism governance.” Wayan Koster – Bali Governor of Gianyar
The Philippines is also implementing the enforcement of similar checks. And tourists who wish to extend their stay, are now being encouraged to apply for a Tourist Visa Extensions via a Digital Platform. The eVisa requires the submission of Ongoing Flights, Hotel Bookings, and Bank Statements as part of the application process.
Hilton Drops ICE Cancellation Hotel
A Minneapolis Hotel (USA), partnered with Hilton, went viral on Monday 5 January 2026, after being called out on X, by The Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The hotel cancelled a booking reservation made on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The bookings were made using government emails and were cancelled by email by the hotel who acknowledged they had “noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS”. The hotel operators allegedly stated that they were not allowing any ICE agents to stay at their property.
Netizens took to the hotels Google Review, leaving a mix of 1 or 5 star reviews depending on their stance on ICE.
Hilton, which partners with the hotel and had found its name cited in global media coverage, initially responded with a statement that the hotel was independently owned and operated, adding that the cancellations “are not reflective of Hilton values”. Hilton’s statement also advised that they would be undertaking an investigation into the allegations.
The hotel owners also responded with “We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies, and apologize to those impacted”.
On the evening of the same day Nick Sorter, a “Conservative commentator”, went in person to the hotel and requested to book rooms for the DHS, with the government rate.
He was informed by the front desk they would not accept bookings for ICE agents. Sorter apparently confirmed with the Front Desk Manager that this was a decision made by the owner of the hotel.
On January 6 (US time zone) Hilton Hotels released another statement, advising they were in the process of severing ties with the hotel, for failing to meet their standards and values.
US Tourism Arrivals Drops Further
The US is facing further downturns in International Tourism Arrivals and Spending, with fingers pointing to the proposed updates to Visa fees and requirements announced in December 2025 (See Industry News Updates – 19 Dec), visa delays and the current political climate as the cause.
At a time when most countries are seeing an ongoing upturn in international tourism arrivals, as the industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, reports project that the US will see millions fewer international visits in 2026.
Leading, what might be considered a boycott, is Canada. Both Border and seasonal destinations have been the most affected by the drop in Canadian tourists.
While US Domestic Tourism is up, the duration of stay and spending power of Americans is typically lower than that of international visitors.
And if the US is banking on the 2026 World Cup to boost their tourism, the optimism may be misplaced. Many foreign national football (soccer) fans are saying that the expensive ticket prices, and visa and entry requirements have ruled them out of attending.
Tech Industry News Updates
Expedia Partners With Amazon’s Alexa+
Amazon’s Alexa+ is set to launch in 2026 bringing with it an integrated Expedia platform. This integration will provide Alexa with the ability to search, compare, book, and manage accommodation rentals and bookings.
Alexa will provide curated and tailored options based on dates, location, room type and price.
Other brands already integrated to Alexa+, or working on this now ahead of the launch include Square, TripAdvisor, Yelp and Uber.
