Ep 167: The Travel Fun is Back in the Philippines, with Feliz Axalan, Tradewings

About This Episode

7 Mar 2023 β€’ 29m30s

“The fun is back in the Philippines… even more so!” It’s almost a year since the Philippines reopened its borders after the pandemic. Inbound, outbound and domestic travel volumes are expanding fast. To gain a clearer picture of the travel recovery in South East Asia’s second-largest nation, Gary chats with Manila-based Feliz Axalan, General Manager of Tradewings Tours & Travel.

We discuss the hot destinations for Philippine outbound travellers (spoiler alert: Japan yes, South Korea no) and some intriguing booking trends, visa issues and FIT vs Group Tour shifts in recent months.

Feliz reveals the staycation, surfing and cycle trip hotspots for domestic travel, which the Department of Tourism expects to fully recover to the 2019 level this year.

For inbound travel, we look at improvements in airport infrastructure and flight access. Feliz provides insider insights about boutique hotel, villa and Airbnb bookings, and the locations travel influencers are promoting on social media.

Plus, as an archipelago nation, the Philippines has big cruise travel ambitions. How will this play out in 2023 and beyond?

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
22 Mar 2023 β€’ 36m56s

Ep 170: The Top 10 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in March 2023

With travel and tourism activity continuing to ramp up across South East Asia, Gary and Hannah tackle the top news stories and talking points in March. The journey takes us to Vietnam, Bali (Indonesia), Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Laos … and Switzerland! En route, we discuss mobile rail ticketing in Laos, bad tourist behaviour shaming in Bali, free tourism experiences in Singapore and an interesting legal case in Malaysia addressing the constitutional right (or otherwise) to travel overseas.
Play
15 Mar 2023 β€’ 9m20s

Ep 168: Mini Update - China Restores Inbound Tourism & Expands Outbound Travel

China began reopening to international travel on 8 January 2023, but the impact so far has been gradual. There are various reasons, including the Chinese government’s decision to phase the scaling up of outbound travel capacity. From today, 15 March, outbound group package tours are permitted to 60 countries worldwide. Independent travellers are, of course, free to travel globally. Also from today, China will begin issuing tourist entry visas, and has reestablished visa-free access to Hainan Island and for cruise passengers docking in Shanghai.