LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – The Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour program is expanding to European and Latin American markets, according to its proponents.
In an interview with The STAR on the sidelines of the official launch of the 2023 VIP Tour at the Philippine Consulate General office here, Rajah Tours president Jose Clemente III said they are in talks with several Philippine consulate officials in Europe to be able to carry out a similar program in their jurisdiction by next year.
“There have been inquiries in some of our European embassies that they want to do a similar kind of tour for their jurisdiction,” he said.
Clemente said talks with one European country’s embassy official are already in an advanced stage and would likely be carried out next year.
“The ambassador wants it done by next year. I will be in Europe in March to start preparing for it,” he said.
The VIP Tour 2023 will take place in the Philippines on July 14 to 24. Led by the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, Tourism Board, Rajah Tours and Philippine Airlines (PAL), the itinerary for the tour combines the best of Manila, Iloilo and Boracay.
Clemente said Rajah Tours is revving up efforts to bring back the program after it has been put on hold due to the pandemic.
“It is high time for our kababayans abroad to experience the best of the Philippines again after the long hiatus due to the pandemic. Rajah Tours is committed to go full blast to make it happen,” Clemente said, noting that a lot of Filipinos abroad have been signifying their eagerness and been inquiring about the program since world travel restrictions were eased up.
With the growing interest from the US market, Clemente said they may raise the capacity of the program to 400 from the initial target of 300. “We are close to filling all the slots, we might have to increase the capacity to 400,” he said.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will offer special packages that include all-in rates for airfare, hotel, travel insurance with COVID coverage, taxes and land arrangements.
Clemente said that aside from the United States and Canada, the VIP Tour program was also held once in Australia and New Zealand.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Philippine Consulate General tourism attache/director for US Southwestern States, Hawaii and Latin America Richmond Jimenez said they have been receiving an encouraging reception for the VIP Tour since they announced its resumption a few weeks ago.
“This is basically for North America, the entire US basically. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez is encouraging Philippine consulates all over the United States to promote to the different communities,” he said.
Jimenez said they have started the launch in San Francisco and Hawaii in the past weeks and they will promote soon in New York. The Los Angeles launch was held simultaneously in Dallas and San Diego.
The tourism official said they are also looking at implementing the VIP Tour program in Latin America, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and Brazil.
“Latin America might happen also in January next year just like Canada because they have similar vacation time,” Jimenez said.
Canada will have its own schedule and hold the VIP Tour program called Winter Escapade in January 2024.
Jimenez said the revival of the VIP Tour program would again give the necessary boost to the Philippine tourism industry.
According to Jimenez, they are excited to show to visiting Filipinos what they have been doing in the tourism front for the past years. “Since the Philippines closed during the pandemic, we continueg to develop our tourism destinations. We had trainings for all our guides, our tourism stakeholders in the past two years and now we are just ready to offer more things about the Philippines safely and effectively,” he said.