Philippine luxury travel market on upswing

MANILA, Philippines — A global travel company identified the Philippines as the second most attractive market in Asia for luxury travel to the growing volume of outbound tourists.

In a press briefing, The Travel Corp. (TTC) president for Asia Robin Yap said the region is becoming a top market for luxury travelers due to the rising disposable income, with Singapore taking the lead.

“But the most attractive market for us is the Philippines,” Yap said. “There’s only one reason we’re here for, it’s volume, it’s profitability.”

Yap said the company sees the Philippines a “lucrative” market for luxury travel with the higher volume it offers since most Filipino tourists travel in group.

He added that the Filipinos resiliency is another factor that remains attractive about the market.

“Whether there is a typhoon, whether there is a volcano eruption, it doesn’t seem to distract people from travel and that is the resilience of this market,” Yap said.

Meanwhile, Rajah Travel Corp. chairman and president Aileen Clemente said the Filipino travelers market continues to evolve with those who have traveled on their own through DIY(Do-It-Yourself) or unbundled servicing packages, wanting to experience more quality tours.

TTC has partnered with Rajah Travel as it launched its 2018 Luxury Escorted Journeys packages offered by its Luxury Gold Brand.

“Travelers can enjoy a diverse selection of 42 small group journeys across the globe including Europe, Britain, Africa, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and North America,” TTC said.

The 2018 luxury travel packages offers nine new destinations such as Japan, Montenegro and Scandinavia, among others.

It also features the Luxury Gold chairman’s collection, which is curated by TTC chairman Stanley Tollman.