President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has elevated the proposed abolition of the travel tax to the top of the government’s legislative priorities, signaling a strong push to lower travel costs, stimulate tourism, and support broader economic activity.
As the government weighs tighter controls on rising domestic airfares, economists and industry stakeholders warn in an interview with Context.ph that headline-grabbing fixes such as price caps and fare transparency risk treating symptoms rather than the deeper structural issues keeping tickets expensive.
The Philippines has emerged as ASEAN’s top tourism economy, leading the region in tourism’s contribution to gross domestic product and ranking among the strongest job creators, according to the 2025 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Economic Impact Report.
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) opened 2026 with solid investment momentum, approving 18 new projects worth P12.86 billion during its first Board meeting of the year.
The Philippines has opened its doors wider to Chinese tourists with a new policy granting 14-day visa-free entry—but the real question is whether travelers from the world’s largest and most dynamic tourism market will actually walk through.
The Philippines is accelerating negotiations for several free trade agreements (FTAs), with officials aiming to conclude key deals by mid-2026 to widen market access for local exporters.
The Philippine government is inviting foreign investors to take over a high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) nickel processing facility in Palawan that could cease operations by 2027, as officials move to preserve the country’s role in the global battery minerals supply chain.
Renewable energy developer SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) expects to complete 56 megawatts (MW) of new battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity in 2026, increasing its total capacity to 729 MW from the current 673 MW.