THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) is leading a new campaign called “Discover More to Love” to boost domestic travel within the Philippines.
Among its major features is the introduction of curated and discounted travel-related packages by local tourism stakeholders, including several hotels from across the country.
In an interview over the weekend, Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the campaign would not replace but instead complement the DOT’s primary tourism branding “Love the Philippines,” with the intention of allowing tourists to define their travel experience in their “own personal way.”
“(The thrust is) local muna pero hopefully, we will expand that to international,” she said. “The Filipinos love to travel, especially Gen Z and the others, it’s an adventure for them, and we want them to be sound board on what else we can do to improve.”
Domestic travel remains a strong driver of tourism in the Philippines. Last year alone, it generated at least P3.26 trillion in tourist spending, up by 3 percent from P3.16 trillion in 2024.
Beyond strengthening local travel, Angara-Mathay said the DOT is also stepping up efforts to recover the decrease in Korean travelers, while continuing to woo the rest of its top source markets.
She admitted that the competitive pricing in other Southeast Asian destinations is pulling in more Koreans, which traditionally has been the Philippines’ number one source market for foreign visitors.
The DOT, for its part, said they would continue engaging stakeholders to introduce and craft new “tour bundles” to make the cost of travel to the Philippines more affordable and “predictable.”
In its latest data, the DOT said the United States now leads as the country’s top market, with 591,569 visitors recorded from January until June 17.
Asked about the DOT’s overall target for the year, Angara-Mathay said she is optimistic the Philippines would reach at least 6.4 million in inbound arrivals by the end of 2026. (PNA)
