DOT prepares for Visit Philippines Year 2015

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT) is starting preparations for Visit Philippines Year 2015, lining up a series of activities every quarter, its top official said yesterday.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said they are now drafting the calendar of activities and expects to come up with the concrete program of activities before the middle of the year.

“We are planning to have every quarter one major entertainment event that would attract not only domestic but also international tourists to visit the Philippines just to watch the event,” he said.

He said they are also firming up schedules for a series of meeting and conferences for eco-tourism activities.

Aside from VPY 2015, the country would also be hosting the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in 2016, Jimenez said.

“This would be the last major tourism event on January 2016 (by the Aquino administration). We hope to make it big and successful,” he said.

Jimenez reported that in the recently concluded ATF held in Sarawak, Malaysia, ASEAN ministers pledged to step up measures to realize the planned regional economic integration by 2015. 

In that meeting, Jimenez said he reported on the progress made by the Philippine government on the common visa, citing the readiness of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to honor the visas extended by all member countries to those traveling to the country.

On the VPY 2015, he told the ATF membership that “In this connection, and to coincide with the holding of the APEC Ministerial Meetings and Leaders’ Summit in 2015, the Philippines has declared 2015 as Visit Philippines Year. ”