The Department of Tourism (DOT) is expanding its tourism playbook beyond traditional destination marketing, partnering with Newport World Resorts and travel platform Klook to strengthen entertainment tourism, boost domestic travel, and give more Philippine destinations a global digital storefront.
Under its agreement with Newport World Resorts, the DOT will promote packages that bundle hotel stays with show tickets, dining, and other activities, turning entertainment into an additional reason for travelers to visit and stay longer.
Michelle Suarez, senior vice president for marketing of Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., said the packages will include stay-and-show and stay-and-dining itineraries promoted through DOT channels.
“This partnership affirms a shared responsibility to build a stronger and more resilient tourism sector,” Travellers International President and CEO Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez said.
He said entertainment can support creative talent and hospitality demand while giving both domestic and international travelers more reasons to choose the Philippines.
The DOT is also renewing its multi-year memorandum of understanding with Klook to promote emerging destinations across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and bring more local tourism operators onto the digital platform.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the partnership will help provincial micro, small, and medium enterprises make their tourism products more visible and easier to book.
For travelers, the goal is a smoother path from discovering an experience online to actually booking it.
For local operators, meanwhile, joining a major travel platform offers a way to reach customers beyond their immediate markets without having to build a digital booking infrastructure from scratch.
Klook Philippines General Manager Michelle Ho said empowering local merchants would make authentic Filipino experiences more accessible while helping position the country as a top-of-mind destination for domestic and international travelers.
Taken together, the partnerships reflect the DOT’s broader effort to diversify the tourism economy by selling not just places, but experiences that can keep visitors engaged, spending, and exploring more of the country.
