DOT working with DFA, BI for issuance of e-visa
TOURISM Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco yesterday said the Department of Tourism (DOT) is working very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration to be able to start issuing soon the electronic visa (e-visa) to tourists as she recognized the significant contributions of China and India as the major source of tourism market of the Philippines.
Frasco, who was the guest speaker at the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) 1st General Membership Meeting 2023 and Induction of the new Board of Trustees, said “ recognizing the potential of both China and India to help boost back again, our tourism industry, our President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) has directed that our government soon offer electronic visas to our tourists and we’re working very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs as well as the Bureau of Immigration and the DOJ to ensure that we would be able to offer this to our tourists at the soonest possible time.”
She reiterated the government’s commitment to support agencies, organizations and private entities involved in the tourism industry to realize the government’s goal to transform the Philippines into a tourism powerhouse in Asia.
HSMA president and director of Sales and Marketing of Belmont and Savoy Hotel Manila Loleth So underscored the importance of collaboration and participation of all the tourism stakeholders to achieve their common goal of reinvigorating the industry that has suffered due to the pandemic.
This year, the new and proactive HSMA leadership will focus on growth, education and community building to provide more avenues for success for its member-hotels and resorts, particularly in the domestic market.
“What’s most important is driving revenues toward our hotels and resorts, all while building on the sense of community and comradeship among our members that we’ve cultivated and fostered since our group’s founding in 1974,” So said.
From March 28 to 29, the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) and HSMA will be holding the Travel Exchange as their first revenue-generating activity where over 150 properties will engage in tabletop business with more than 100 of PHILTOA’s members to boost domestic travel through their destinations and services.
Travelers can also look forward to the September Online Sale (SOS) which was initially established as a response to the impact of the pandemic on travel and tourism in 2020.
HSMA will also provide sales and marketing leaders with new learning opportunities in order to help them spearhead their teams as they maneuver their plans,” So said.
The new HSMA team inducted by Frasco were HSMA chair Margarita Munsayac (Bluewater Resorts VP of Sales and Marketing); president Loleth So; vice president Cristina Carreon (Manila Marriott’s Marketing Director of Sales and Distribution); secretary Amie Villena (Four Points Sheraton Palawan Director for Sales and Marketing); treasurer Desiree Rose de Guzman (Astoria Hotels and Resorts corporate director of Sales and Marketing); public relations director Cielo Reboredo )Okada Manila Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Hospitality and Entertainment); director for membership Tet Romualdo (General Manager of Linden Suites); director for education Lynette Ermac (Megaworld Hotels and Resorts Group Director of Sales and Marketing); director for ways and means Wenie Maligaya (Newport World Resorts’ Director of Sales and Marketing); and director for programs Jennylyn Santillan (City of Dreams Manila Director of Sales and Marketing).
The HSMA, with more than 150 members, is the premier organization of hotel sales and marketing leaders in the Philippines located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
