3April 2022, Seoul - Philippine Secretary of Tourism Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is in the Republic of Korea on Official Visit from 28 March - 3 April 2022 to undertake an intensified tourism campaign that aims to revive the vibrant two-way travel between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

On 30 March, Secretary Romulo-Puyat with Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega, and Tourism Assistant Secretary Howard Lance Uyking delivered remarks and presentations at a Media Briefing and a Travel Trade Industry Meeting, both held at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.

Secretary Romulo-Puyat shared the most important developments in the Philippine tourism industry for the past two years and the initiatives of the Philippine government to ensure safe travels during the pandemic. She cited that in Asia, the Philippines is one of the easiest countries to travel for Koreans as it has the least number of restrictions and destinations which have received the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travel Stamp, the gold standard in terms of implementing health and hygiene protocols, thus Koreans are assured of worry-free travel to the Philippines.

Secretary Puyat also invited Korean government officials, travel trade members, and media to the WTTC Global Summit which will be held in Manila from 20 to 22 April 2022. WTTC is the most influential tourism summit in the world and the Philippines' hosting reaffirms our readiness to open our borders to international travellers.

For her welcome remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega shared that the Philippines is very pleased to see Korea as the top market for incoming visitors which is indeed a testament to the robust PH-ROK bilateral relations which has been on a consistent upward trajectory through the years. She stressed that the visit of Secretary Puyat comes at an auspicious time as the Philippines has re-opened its borders to international travellers after nearly two years of restrictions as well as the easing of quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers entering Korea starting in April.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Howard Lance Uyking delivered a presentation on major tourism circuits and emerging tourist destinations in the Philippines. The Philippine Delegation likewise included Director Paolo Tugbang of the Department of Tourism.

The Media Briefing was attended by various members of the Korean media, online and digital publications, and travel and leisure publication sector. The Travel Trade Meeting was participated in by distinguished guests including, Secretary General Kim Hae-yong of the ASEAN Korea Centre, Former Ambassador and now Secretary General Woo Kyoung-ha from the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities and government representatives from ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and partners from the travel sector.

The events also highlighted the new tagline of the Philippine Tourism Department "It's More Fun with You" and unveiled the "7,641 Islands of the Philippines", a digital travel magazine which may be accessed through https://www.7641islands.ph/. END