Rappler's latest stories on Department of Tourism
'Travel bubbles': DOT eyes tourists from virus-free countries to visit PH
The government is looking at tourists from countries with low to zero coronavirus cases such as Australia and New Zealand

PH tourism revenues, arrivals halved in first trimester of 2020
The Philippines earns P79.8 billion from January to April 2020, against last year's P180.52 billion

[Letters from Mama] Optimism, thanks to my children
The Philippines' Tourism Secretary writes about finding hope through her children

‘He gave generously’: Aquino’s tribute to late tourism chief Mon Jimenez
Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III remembers Jimenez as someone who ‘helped unify the majority of our people towards achieving the successes that we could be proud of as a nation’

Former tourism chief Mon Jimenez dies
(UPDATED) The 'It's More Fun in the Philippines' campaign was launched during Mon Jimenez's time as tourism chief

Sweeper flight takes 143 foreign tourists in Mindanao to Manila
The marooned foreigners are gathered by the Australian Embassy and the Department of Tourism from 3 regions in Mindanao

WATCH: PH tourism dept pays tribute to coronavirus frontliners in 'With A Smile' video
The video features footage of an empty metropolis and stills of medical and service frontliners as Luzon enters its 4th week in lockdown

Gov't buildings, hotels, resorts may soon be used as quarantine sites
Local government units and other government agencies will report to the National Task Force COVID-19 facilities that may be temporarily designated for isolation or quarantine purposes

Philippines taps TikTok users to address coronavirus tourism impact
#GoCreatePH encourages millennials to dance while featuring their hometown's tourism spots

Philippines to spend P6 billion to boost tourism amid novel coronavirus
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat says the government will develop infrastructure in tourist spots and improve secondary airports to cushion the economic impact of the novel coronavirus

DOT postpones nationwide mall sales amid coronavirus scare
The tourism department says it 'maintains its stance to prioritize the safety of its citizens more than visitor arrivals and revenue'

'Safe' to join public gatherings amid COVID-19 threat, says PH gov't
Several Cabinet officials including Health Secretary Francisco Duque III tell the public that they can join gatherings with large crowds for as long as they observe DOH-recommended precautionary measures against COVID-19

To ‘cushion’ effects of virus outbreak, DOT wants Duterte to visit tourist spots
The tourism department plans to bring President Rodrigo Duterte to Boracay, Cebu, and Bohol, as the tourism industry continues to suffer from the coronavirus scare

DOT is Google's first GMB Trusted Verifier in the Philippines
The Department of Tourism will work closely with Google in digitizing the tourism establishments in the Philippines, says Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat

DOT, Globe partner to promote sustainable and digital tourism
They kicked off the partnership at the Globe-Siargao Sustainability Week

DOT wants to regulate Airbnb lodgings
There are no specific laws regulating online platforms like Airbnb

Paolo Duterte hits tourism chief: 'Napupuyat na ko sa babae na 'to'
It's President Rodrigo Duterte's son, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte, versus Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat

Lawmakers want to increase tourism department's budget by P800 million
The budget department has slashed to P3.8 billion the P4.3 billion originally proposed by the Department of Tourism mostly for its regional projects

WATCH: DOT partners with Jollibee for food-centric tourism campaign
'We believe that one of the best ways to explore the Philippines and experience the country's culture is through our numerous and unique food offerings,' says Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat

COA flags P500-M worth of tourism department transactions
The transactions involve foreign travels, expenses for ASEAN and APEC summits, and salaries of Central Office personnel
Tourism's GDP share rises in 2018 despite Boracay closure
The number of jobs in the tourism industry also inches up by 1.8% to 5.4 million in 2018

Mon Tulfo: Andanar ‘manipulated’ irregular DOT-PTV deal
‘Ben and Andanar manipulated it. Andanar manipulated the whole thing,’ says Ramon Tulfo
Why the 2019 World Street Food Congress isn’t happening
With the event's abrupt cancelation by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board, the WSFC team isn't happy

Foreign tourist arrivals up by over 7% in Q1 2019
South Korea and China remain the Philippines' top source markets for foreign tourists in the 1st quarter of 2019, with a double-digit growth for China

Boracay draws 619,000 tourists in 1st quarter of 2019
The figure is slightly higher than the number of visitors during the 1st quarter of 2018. A little over half of tourists are foreigners, mostly from China and South Korea.

Northern Mindanao seeks to draw adventure travelers through mountain tourism
Northern Mindanao is home to 3 of the Philippines' 8 ASEAN Heritage Parks – protected areas 'known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness, and outstanding values' – one of them in Camiguin

Batangas tops number of tourist arrivals in Calabarzon in 2018
Tourism officials in Batangas attribute the increase in tourist arrivals to 'faith tourism'

Philippines makes bold tourism moves at ITB Berlin
Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat promotes 'It's More Fun in the Philippines' in Europe

Chinese, Koreans still top foreign visitors to Boracay
Chinese tourists made up nearly half of the foreign visitors to Boracay in the first two months of the year, data from the Department of Tourism in Boracay show

Puyat commends Catriona Gray for efforts in promoting the Philippines
Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat says Catriona is the perfect tourism ambassador for the country

'It's More Fun in the Philippines' gets new font
The Department of Tourism launches a custom-made font called Barabara, inspired by lettering seen on jeepneys

Philippines' 'more fun' slogan in 2019 to focus on sustainable tourism
The Philippines will be marketed as 'one of the pioneering countries for sustainable tourism,' the Department of Tourism says

PH tourism breaks record, hits 7.1 million | Midday wRap
Watch Rappler’s Midday newscast with Marguerite de Leon

Philippines breaks tourism record in 2018 despite Boracay closure
South Korea remains the top source market, while China is the 'most improved' as it overtakes the United States for the second spot

DENR, DILG, DOT chiefs to map out El Nido rehabilitation plan
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat will be in El Nido town on November 28 to meet with local officials

After criticism, no more balloon releasing in next Mimaropa Festival
Mimaropa's top tourism official thanks EcoWaste Coalition for pointing out that releasing balloons is harmful to the environment

Full Boracay rehab by December 2019, says DOT chief
Tourism officials have asked airlines to reduce flights to Caticlan and Kalibo in Aklan, since Boracay can only accommodate a limited number of tourists per day

Gov't approves permits to operate of 25 Boracay hotels, resorts
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force is implementing a 'No Compliance, No Opening' policy to ensure that establishments follow rules and regulations

One-stop shop for Boracay businesses gets 2-week extension
The one-stop shop will now be open until September 7 instead of the initial August 25 deadline

Ben Tulfo on P60-M ad deal: PTV still owes us money
Tulfo refuses to answer how much the government owes his production company Bitag Media

Tulfos: We will not return P60M to government
'Wala ho sa isip ko magsasauli kasi wala akong ginawang ilegal. Papanindigan po namin ang kontrata, legal po ito. Wala po kaming ginawang illegal,' says Ben Tulfo during a Senate hearing

LIVE: Senate hearing on Tulfo's P60-M earnings from DOT ad placements
Watch the hearing on Tuesday, August 14, at 10 am

Visayas, Mindanao airports get P2B in proposed 2019 budget
The new Bohol International Airport receives the biggest chunk at P754 million

P7.8M in 2019 national budget to be used in tourism safety
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat also pledges to put up health facilities in tourist destinations in coordination with the Department of Health

PH vows to boost tourist safety after jellyfish kills girl
Filipino-Italian swimmer Gaia Trimarchi, 7, dies after being stung by a box jellyfish in Caramoan, Camarines Sur
Legal process continues despite Ben Tulfo refusal to return P60M – Roque
The Tulfos are supposed to return the payment because of a Commission on Audit notice of disallowance, but this can still be appealed

Philippines hits 3.7 million foreign tourists mid-2018
Foreign tourist arrivals increase by 10.4%, compared to the 3.3 million recorded for the January-June period last year

Call for proposals: DOT tourism research grant
PRESS RELEASE: Deadline for applications is on July 31, Tuesday

More fun? Inefficiencies in Teo’s DOT term raise audit red flags
The 2017 audit report of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is rife with delayed projects, deficient planning and multi-million projects that went unmonitored and cannot be measured for their worth
COA flags P19 million travel allowances of DOT officials
(UPDATED) The department spent P19.2 million on travel allowances alone in 2017, including P863,961 for resigned secretary Wanda Teo