Melo Villareal
DOT unveils a more fun website
Manila, Philippines — On October 8, Tuesday, the Department of Tourism (DOT) unveils its new website at the HUB: Make Lab in Escolta, which is also part of DOT’s efforts to showcase and conserve the country’s natural heritage. The launching of its new website also aims to further enhance the travel experience of both foreign and local travelers.
The new DOT website (philippines.travel) makes the 7,641 islands of the Philippines more accessible to travelers. With just one click, visitors can easily access and learn about the Philippine regions, as well as plan and book their travel with DOT-accredited tourism establishments. The DOT also pointed out that the philippines.travel website is a timeless domain name that is not dependent on any government’s tourism campaign or slogan.
DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said, “We have made the website very inclusive as we recognize the value of our private sector’s involvement and support in this. This is one of many efforts we are doing to encourage tourist establishments to go through our accreditation process to provide better service to our tourists.”
The inclusion of an actual travel booking system on the site is in partnership with Guide to the Philippines (www.guidetothephilippines.ph) featuring 500 best value travel products and counting, and an online library of in-depth destination travel guides to help travelers discover new destinations in the Philippines, and to link tourists to DOT-accredited tour operators and tourism establishments.
As a long-term goal, the DOT aims to embed the booking system’s functions to its new website. Rabbi Vincent Ang, Guide to the Philippines’ General Manager said this online platform isn’t only showcasing the most popular destination in the country, but even the lesser-known ones. She added that it’s a true collaboration of local tourism stakeholders, one that’s sure to make traveling to our country a lot easier.
According to President of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, Jose Clemente III, “The new website does not only provide accessibility for tourists with its travel guide, but it symbolizes how the government and the business sector can help one another to provide better services for our people.” For its new look, the re-designed website has three main tabs: See & Do; Where to Go; and Events & Festival, which are based on unique travel behaviors.
The Features
The “See & Do” tab features six options from Dive, Nature, Sun and Beach, Adventure, Food and Hospitality, and Events and Culture. Clicking the button will lead its user to tourist destinations and activities that are readily available.
Meanwhile, under the “Where to Go” tab – users can check out the virtual map, and get basic information on the 16 regions and provinces, including routes, nearby places, and where to stay.
Since our country is brimming with exciting happening, there’s also the “Events & Festival” tab where tourists are guided with dates, locations and routes, and fundamental information about the occasion. It also informs tourists to wear cultural appropriate clothing.
Tourism Assistant Secretary Howard Lance Uyking shares, “What you can expect from future phases will be more enhanced graphics, visuals, content, and of course language translation options for various nationals… We will start with our top source markets.”
