23 July 2024, Seoul. The Philippine Embassy in Seoul pushed for streamlining of travel services for the benefit of South Korean tourists bound for the Philippines during a meeting with the Department of Tourism-National Capital Region (DOT-NCR) led by Regional Director Sharlene Zabala-Batin and Philippine government officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), and private sector representatives from the travel operator and tourism marketing sector.

The group visited the Republic of Korea from 17 to 19 June 2024 to conduct a transit tour benchmarking activity in line with the Department of Tourism's Hop-On Hop-Off (HOHO) Travel by the Hubs Initiative. The DOT project was launched in 2023 with Manila as a pilot hub and is currently being expanded to Makati, Taguig, Quezon City and other cities to highlight the major tourist destinations within Metro Manila, and later on to Cebu and other major transit points in the country.

On 17 June 2024, Minister and Consul General Romulo Victor M. Israel Jr. joined by Tourism Director Ma. Corazon Jorda-Apo, welcomed the delegation for a courtesy visit at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul. During the meeting, the officials briefed the Embassy on the current tourism promotion efforts as well as immigration and customs updates and policies in the Philippines.

The Embassy took the opportunity to raise the need to streamline processes for customs and immigration for tourists to ensure that Korean travelers have a pleasant and seamless experience from their arrival to departure from the Philippines. South Korean inbound tourist arrivals currently dominate the Philippine tourism market share at 25.99% as of June 2024.

The BI and BOC also agreed to collaborate with the Embassy for a town hall with the Filipino community in Korea to better educate OFWs/OFs, including those with Korean families, about travelers' or air passengers' rights and obligations and update them on any new developments and regulations. The town hall will also be an opportunity to raise questions and suggestions based on their travel experiences.

The Philippine Embassy continues to work with the Philippine tourism sector to ensure seamless travel and improved tourism services in the Philippines. END