Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco engaged in a courtesy meeting with Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano at the DOT Central Office in Makati City.
Frasco and Albano took up various areas of interest in the meeting, foremost is pertinent updates on the Philippine participation to the upcoming Osaka Kansai Japan Expo 2025 in collaboration with the Tourism Promotions Board and other agencies, an important global event happening from April 13 to October 13, 2025 in Yumeshima, Osaka.
The tourism chief also apprised the ambassador of the DOT’s latest initiatives as far as further tapping into Japan’s tourist source market and facilitating easier travel exchange between the Philippines and Japan.
The DOT’s ongoing effort to strengthen its linkage with Japan on the liberalization of requirements for Japanese travelers, particularly English as a Second Language (ESL) students.
These include the DOT’s ongoing effort to strengthen its linkages with other national government agencies and local consular offices in lobbying for the lifting of existing travel advisories imposed upon Philippine destinations by foreign governments including Japan, as well as the liberalization of requirements for Japanese travelers, particularly English as a Second Language (ESL) students, with the strong intent to expand the tourism product to more destinations, in addition to established ESL hubs such as Cebu and Baguio City.
“Japan has consistently been a top source of tourist arrivals to the Philippines,” Frasco noted.
Last year, it ranked sixth in terms of visitor arrivals to the Philippines, with 99,557 arrivals between February-December 2022.
This year, Japan rose to the third spot, with 156,205 arrivals to the Philippines from January to July 2023.
Albano on her part expressed support to the DOT’s strategies and vowed to promote its plans and programs including the Love the Philippines campaign, within the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Japan.
Also at the meeting are Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB) COO Marga Nograles, DOT OIC-Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso, DOT Assistant Secretary Maria Rica C. Bueno, and Head Executive Assistant Glenn Albert Ocampo.
