Qualified foreign and local travelers, including Balikbayans, flying in and out of Clark International Airport (CIA) can now avail of subsidized Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines.
The Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2021 is now in full swing as a hybrid event for the second straight year amidst the pandemic. Spearheaded by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), PHITEX goes online and onsite at the ACEA Subic Beach Resort in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone from September 20-23 with the theme “Beyond Business: Co-creating Safe, Smart, and Sustainable Tourism”.
Putting up a travel blog never crossed my mind. All I wanted to do was to travel, take pictures of my trips, share some photos on Facebook and keep the travel experiences in my memories.
Then a few weeks ago I heard about the resignation of former DOT Secretary Alberto Lim that made headlines. Rumors and speculation about his resignation started to come out. Despite the controversy, I tried to remain hopeful and focused on the positive news that Philippine tourism has seen a rapid growth in the first five months of 2011. By the way, this news came out even before Lim's resignation so I didn't quite get why leave in the middle of the celebration. Or was there a more serious issue behind his resignation?
Anyway, like I said, I'd rather focus on the good news. A new DOT chief has now been named. Like what everyone else believes, I'm very positive that Ramon Jimenez can do a better job. I'm happy in his enthusiasm in encouraging everyone to promote the Philippines - comparing the country to a "chicken joy which is very easy to sell". I deliciously second that! LOL.
Whether good news or bad news, we cannot deny the fact the Philippines is a beautiful country. And for me, that is an understatement. I'm putting up this blog so that other people realize that fact. Every Filipino should be aware that there are plenty of hidden gems all over the country, waiting to be discovered. I don't hate my friends or some people who prefer to travel to other countries but one thing is for sure, they are missing to experience the treasures in their own backyard.
