For balikbayans wanting to explore your homeland over the holidays and hoping to traverse the thousands of islands in the Philippines during succeeding visits with family here or visitors from abroad, finding trustworthy places to stay in or people to guide you as you tour different locations can be challenging.
Enter the newly upgraded Travel Philippines app. The joint project by the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) promises to make it more convenient for travelers to “experience the beauty, culture, and adventures that the Philippines has to offer.”
“Travel Philippines opens up enormous opportunities for tourists to discover the multitude of reasons to Love the Philippines, as the app provides a comprehensive look at the vast expanse of tourism destinations and experiences our islands have to offer,” says DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco of the relaunched application.
TPB Chief Operating Officer Margarita Montemayor Nograles adds, “The country has come together to create and promote its enhanced version. This symbolizes our collective passion to celebrate the unique treasures that define us as Filipinos.”
Ways the app can help you plan your next trip anywhere in the Philippines
1. Learn about things to do and places to eat and stay in the area you plan to visit.
You can navigate the app by region and specific locations within that region. For example, you can select Luzon, then navigate to Region III (Central Luzon) and select Subic Bay. You’ll be taken to a page listing attractions and landmarks, activities, events, accommodations (including price range for each hotel or resort), and food and drinks. For Food & Drinks, you’ll even be able to filter listings by price range.
2. Get a digital guide to top attractions and destinations, including trivia about landmarks and more.
When selecting the icons that indicate specific attractions and landmarks, you’ll go to a page that briefly explains what to expect, photos, contact details, operational hours, and more. You’ll also get a link to the location on Google Maps.
Here’s a peek at the destinations you can explore with the app:
3. Identify and get contact information for reputable tour guides vetted by the DOT and TPB.
If you’re interested in guided tours like the ones of historical Manila, the app may also suggest local tour guides. It will list any affiliations with tour companies or associations, languages the guide can speak, assigned destinations, and contact information.
4. Compare the prices of various accommodations around your selected location.
Each area page has an Accommodations section listing different types of places to stay. This includes hotels, resorts, inns, bed and breakfasts, and dormitels. The listings include a description of the place, a Google Maps link for directions, the price range, and the contact details for each lodging.
5. If you’re already in the area, find places to stay or eat nearby.
You can allow the app to use your geolocation to recommend attractions, events, accommodations, or restaurants near you. One thing to note, though, is that if your geolocation is a general area rather than a specific one, you may want to use the navigation instead to filter to the exact city you’re in to get results in your immediate vicinity. For example, when your geolocation is listed as just “Metro Manila, Philippines” instead of a specific location, you could see top recommendations in Ortigas even when staying in Pasay.
6. Get discounts on accommodations and more.
The Travel Philippines app also has a Deals & Promos section listing special offers you can take advantage of. While all the offers are currently related to accommodations (usually discounted stays), the section already has categories for activities, airlines, destinations, events, and food and drinks. So we’re looking forward to more deals in the future.
7. Manage your trips via the app.
When you log into the app (you can use Google, Facebook, etc.), you can use the trip planner feature that allows you to lay out your trip’s itinerary, including flights and planned transportation, accommodations, and more.
One thing to note about this app, though, is that as of this writing, several of the sections still need to be populated with listings, especially the ones for food and drinks, events, and activities.
However, we are looking forward to seeing more listings and better functionality with the app in the future, especially as it has only recently been relaunched with the support of top media and business personalities.
Filipino celebrities and tastemakers using the Travel Philippines app
The app’s supporters include rapper and music producer Apl.de.ap, TV actress and beauty queen Bianca Manalo, athlete and entrepreneur Chris Tiu, actress CJ Jaravata, businesswoman and “experience enthusiast” Marianna Zobel de Ayala, GMA Network exec Annette Gozon, artist and architect Carlo Calma, as well as several travel promoters. Check out what more Filipino celebrities and tastemakers have to say about the app below:
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