This year has utterly embezzled the fun from us — and while Christmas is just around the corner, there’s no reason for us to cancel the celebration and excitement during the Yuletide season. In fact, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on Tuesday, December 1, that he sees no need to place the region under a “more stringent lockdown” during the Christmas season. He instead told the public to continue following minimum health standards. Although the Octa Research Team has warned of a possible rise of COVID-19 infections during the holiday season, as people are expected to gather for parties...

  Note: There’s no need to get all sad about it   Unlike other countries, Christmas in the Philippines has been a very big deal. In fact, our country is said to have the longest Christmas celebration in the world.  And of course, there’s nothing wrong about it. Christmas is when families and other relatives from afar come home for reunion to celebrate this holiday season. The noche buena is always excessive — from the different types of lechon, salad, pasta, to many variants of kakanin. Everyone has to prepare gifts for everyone, and also, you should not forget your...

Looking for a travel companion that can give you updates to travel advisories during the pandemic? Worry no more! The Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agency, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) launched a new travel app called ‘Travel Philippines’, on Friday, October 30, 2020, in partnership with venture builder HIMO Global Inc. The newly-launched travel web application will give tourists an update on the status of destinations that recently reopened, providing them one digital stop when planning leisure trips under the "new normal" which will also allow users to create itineraries conveniently, and securely store digital copies of travel...

Yes, we get it. It has been months and months of staring at the walls of your house, feet aching with the desire to travel again to your favorite destination. The pandemic took a big hit on the tourism industry due to strict travel guidelines that were implemented.  For us staying comfortably at home, reopening the tourism industry will give us the chance to do leisure activities again — but for those who work for the tourist industry, this could be a lifesaver. As we start to open the Philippines once again for the sake of our economy, the government...

On October 14, 2020, the Department of Health (DOT) issued a health and safety protocol for recreational diving in preparation for the gradual reopening of tourism leisure and activities. The DOT advised divers to bring their own personal diving gears and equipment box, and use a “defog solution” to properly clean their dive masks upon visiting dive sites in order to contain the further spread of COVID-19. “Spitting on the mask or the use of saliva as a defogger is prohibited,” the DOT said. “Our priority remains the same with the reopening of diving and sports tourism. By following these...