Philippines Calls for Partners in Japan’s Chubu Region to Revive Travel to the Philippines
First Row, starting from 3rd from the left: Tourism Assistant Secretary Howard Lance A. Uyking, Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo-Puyat, Philippine Consul General to Nagoya Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, JATA-Chubu Region President Akihiko Naoe, Tourism Undersecretary Edwin R. Enrile, PDOT-Osaka Tourism Attaché Gwen S. Batoon. (Nagoya PCG photo)
NAGOYA 21 March 2022 – The Philippines invited travel partners in the Chubu region to help revitalize tourism flows to the Philippines with a “Meet and Greet” event for the travel industry in central Japan at the Hilton Hotel in Nagoya on 17 March 2022.
Organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) with support from the PH Consulate General in Nagoya, Secretary of Tourism Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was joined in the event by Philippine Consul General to Nagoya Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat.
The event provided updates on the relaxation of Philippine border measures, compliance with the “new normal” health and safety standards for the industry, upgrading of the variety and the quality of tourism services, and ways forward on reviving travel and tourism between the Philippines and Japan.
Secretary Puyat gives the keynote speech, attesting that her visit to Japan was the beginning of the recovery of tourism. (Nagoya PCG photo)
Secretary Puyat unveiled the Philippines’ new tourism campaign “More Fun with You,” as part of the country’s initiatives to welcome more tourists from Japan.
Among the new tourism product offerings catering to travelers’ evolving preferences and priorities in the new normal include over 111 tourism circuits that cover food crawls, cultural and heritage tours, and adventure trails around the country.
Secretary Puyat urged travel partners to engage with DOT’s West Japan Office, which will be conducting a series of “discovery webinars” on these product offerings, bringing real time updates for the travel trade in the Japanese language, and conduct livestream virtual facility tours of Cebu and Bohol.
With the Philippines hosting the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit on 20-22 April 2022, Secretary Puyat said, “we invite you to come and join us as we Rediscover Travel, and open real dialogue to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in the sector, working with governments and international institutions to create and recover jobs, drive exports, and generate prosperity for the industry.”
She also thanked the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) for its policy recommendations, which have contributed to the easing of border restrictions beginning November 2020.
Philippine Consul General to Nagoya Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat gives a preview of travel updates to be presented by DOT (Nagoya PCG photo)
Meanwhile, Consul General Vinzon-Balatbat offered assistance from the Philippine Consulate-General in Nagoya in processing entry visas and advising travelers on entry protocols and other information on travel to the Philippines.
JATA-Chubu Chapter President Akihiko Naoe expresses his appreciation to the DOT delegation, Nagoya PCG, and members of the JATA-Chubu Chapter for their continued support. (Nagoya PCG photo)
Mr. Akihiko Naoe, President of the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA) – Chubu Chapter, affirmed that “JATA continues to urge the Japanese government to relax the border restrictions for the Philippines.”
He cited the popularity of the Philippines as a destination among the Japanese who want to learn the English language and confirmed JATA’s support for resuming travel between the two countries.
Before the pandemic, Japan was the country’s 4th biggest tourism market with 682,788 visitors or 8.27% of total international tourism arrivals in 2019. END
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