...the PH economic gain with China

Philippines reaping economic benefits from harmonious ties with China: Finance Chief

Xinhuanet.com
25 November 2019

MANILA, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez has said that the 
Philippines is reaping the benefits from building a harmonious relationship with China, reiterating 
the Philippines' full support for China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In a finance forum held in Guangzhou, China over the weekend, Dominguez pointed out that as a 
result of this warming of relations between the two countries on President Rodrigo Duterte's 
watch, China has become the Philippines' biggest trading partner and one of the largest 
tourism markets.

Since 2016, he said, the Philippines' total trade with China increased at an average of 15 percent 
annually. Last year, the total trade with China reached 52 billion U.S. dollars, which was 15 
percent higher than the 2017 level.

Chinese tourist arrivals in the Philippines, meanwhile, grew at an average of 27 percent per 
year since the start of the Duterte administration, he added. "It reached 1.63 million arrivals in 
2018, or 23 percent higher than the visits recorded in 2017."

Moreover, he said the Philippines obtained the best terms - a very tight spread of 32 basis points 
over  the benchmark - for its maiden and subsequent "Panda" bond issuances in the Chinese 
market.

The China Lianhe Credit Rating also rated the Philippines' Panda bond issuances as Triple A, 
which is its highest rating, he said.

"The synergy created by closer Philippines-China economic cooperation is true for all the rest 
of the region. This is the reason we see even closer economic integration between China and
 the ASEAN economies," Dominguez said.

During the forum, Dominguez reiterated the Philippines' full support for China's Belt and Road 
Initiative (BRI), which, he said, will open the vast economic potentials of all countries in the region.

"Improved infrastructure will enhance trade among our economies. Enhanced trade will encourage 
more efficient investment flows. Improved connectivity will enhance the inclusiveness of our 
growth patterns. We have everything to gain from this."

Dominguez noted that the Philippines also has its version of the BRI dubbed the 
"Build, Build, Build" program, which involves 100 highly strategic infrastructure projects as 
well as thousands of infrastructure and logistics improvements all over the country.

This infrastructure modernization strategy, aimed at lowering the Philippines' poverty incidence 
from 27.6 percent in the first half of 2015 to just 14 percent by 2022, will lower the costs of 
moving people and goods, bring remote communities closer to the economic mainstream, and 
"create numerous  investment opportunities that will unleash the latent strengths of our economy," 
he said.

"We are relying on this program to induce internally generated growth that will enable us to 
expand despite a challenging global environment brought about by protectionist policies 
in the West," Dominguez said.

...the World Travel Awardees

World Travel awards Asia and Oceania 2019 winners announced in Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Tatiana Rokou
Travel Daily News  
 14 October 2019

The finest travel brands in Asia and Oceania have been unveiled at a star-studded gala ceremony in Vietnam. The elite of the travel industry assembled for the World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2019 on the pristine island of Phu Quoc to find out who amongst them had been crowned best of the best.

   

Winners at the red carpet ceremony included Philippines Department of Tourism, which was named ‘Asia’s Leading Tourist Board’ following a year of impressive visitor arrival growth. The stunning natural beauty and intriguing culture of Vietnam was acknowledged with the title of ‘Asia’s Leading Destination’, whilst New Zealand fended off stiff competition to emerge as ‘Oceania’s Leading Destination’.

Hundreds of the travel industry VIPs from Asia and Oceania attended the evening at Vinpearl Convention Center Phu Quoc, the state-of-the-art meeting and event facility and the latest addition to the five-star Vinpearl Phu Quoc integrated complex.

Graham Cooke, Founder, WTA, said: “It has been an honour to host WTA at the Vinpearl Convention Center Phu Quoc. This fabulous addition to the Vinpearl Phu Quoc integrated complex has proven a gracious host of what has been a spectacular evening of travel triumph, and a highlight of our 26th Grand Tour. We have had the privilege of recognising many of the leading hotels, airlines and hospitality providers from across Asia and Oceania and my congratulations to each of them.”

Dang Thanh Thuy, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Vingroup, said: “Vinpearl is proud to have hosted the WTA Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2019 at our Vinpearl Convention Center on Phu Quoc Island. On this special occasion, we have been honoured to present a charming image of modern Vietnam to international visitors, as well as the world’s leading tourism and hospitality brands. This significant event has offered Vinpearl a golden opportunity to showcase its world-class all-inclusive resort complex at Phu Quoc, Asia’s most promising island destination, as well as to promote Vietnamese tourism to the global travel industry.”

In the aviation sector, Singapore Airlines was named ‘Asia’s Leading Airline’ whilst an unprecedented fleet upgrade helped Vietnam Airlines lift the title of ‘Asia’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’. AirAsia collected ‘Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’ and Singapore Changi Airport was named ‘Asia’s Leading Airport’. Oceania winners included Air New Zealand (‘Oceania’s Leading Airline’) and Brisbane Airport (‘Oceania’s Leading Airport’).

The enchanting mix of French Indochine haute couture in a breathtaking mountain setting led Hotel de la Coupole MGallery by Sofitel to be voted ‘Asia’s Leading New Hotel’. Other newcomer winners included Anantara Quy Nhon Villas (‘Asia’s Leading New Resort’) and Van Don International Airport (‘Asia’s Leading New Airport’).

Vinpearl’s contribution to Vietnam’s travel and tourism economy was acknowledged with victories for Vinpearl Resort & Spa Phu Quoc (‘Asia’s Leading Family & Beach Resort’) and Vinpearl Discovery 2 Phu Quoc (‘Asia’s Leading New Villa Resort’).

Hospitality winners included The Grand Ho Tram Strip (‘Asia’s Leading Resort’); The Ascott Limited (‘Asia’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’); InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (‘Asia’s Leading Green Resort’); Conrad Hotels & Resorts (‘Asia’s Leading Lifestyle Hotel Brand’) and InterContinental Hotels & Resorts (‘Oceania’s Leading Hotel Brand’); and InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto (‘Oceania’s Leading Hotel’).

Travel provider winners included Vietravel (‘Asia’s Leading Tour Operator’), Abercrombie & Kent (‘Oceania’s Leading Tour Operator’) and RezLive.com (‘Asia’s Leading B2B Travel Provider’).
  
The VIP ceremony formed the sixth and final leg of the WTA Grand Tour 2019 – a search for the finest travel and tourism organisations in the world. Other 2019 regional ceremonies included Montego Bay (Jamaica), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Mauritius, Madeira (Portugal), La Paz (Bolivia), with the winners progressing to the Grand Final in Muscat (Oman) on 28.                                            

...the best hotels in the world

Two Hotels In The Philippines Are Named Among The Best In The World


Philippine Tatler
11 October 2019

The travel magazine annually conducts the Readers’ Choice Awards for more than three decades where registered participants cast their votes for their top choices across several categories such as countries, cities, islands, resorts, spas, airports, cruises, resorts, and hotels.

A record 600,000 voters joined the 2019 survey, which revealed Conrad Manila and Edsa Shangri-La among the world’s top 50 best hotels. Respectively bagging the 45th and 46th place, these hotels are two of only seven Asia-based hotels to be featured in the coveted list.

The hotels included in this list are those that offered an unforgettable stay — great food, cloud-soft sheets, and extraordinary service, among other standards that made the voters hail them as one of the bests.

Edsa Shangri-La, Manila is the very first Shangri-La hotel in the Philippines. The two white towers of this hotel are set in a tropical garden amid the shopping and residential Ortigas Centre district. It boasts of outstanding interiors — marble floors, wooden rails, Asian paintings, and floral arrangements. The Tower Wing rooms offer a breathtaking view of the cityscape while the Garden Wing offers either the cityscape or the hotel’s stunning gardens. The service is praised as excellent with multiple restaurants serving a variety of cuisines from Japanese to Cantonese to Italian.

John Rice, area vice president of operations for the Shangri-La Group in the Philippines, expressed their gratefulness and delight to be listed among the best hotels in the world. “We feel more inspired and driven to serve with the legendary warmth of the Shangri-La hospitality our guests have come to expect”.

Placed in the 45th spot, the Conrad Manila opened in 2016 with a visually striking architecture meant to bring to mind the cruise ships that fill the Manila Bay it overlooks. It offers a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of Makati and is also just few minutes away from the airport. Conrad Manila prides itself on having easy access to a variety of shopping, dining, recreation, and local attractions.

The hotel has 347 stylish rooms, six restaurants, a 24-hour fitness centre, a luxury spa, and an infinity pool. Its eye-catching design has also been recognised with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award for breaking new ground in sustainable design, featuring smart room lighting that changes to suit the time of day.

Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards is the longest-running recognition of excellence in the travel industry. Now in its 32nd year, the annual survey is known to acknowledge “the best of the best in travel” across the world.

..the Asia's friendliest cities

Travel website recognizes Manila, Cebu as among Asia's friendliest cities


Alec Go
Manila Bulletin
25 September 2019

Manila and Cebu ranked 4th and 15th, respectively, in Big 7 Travel’s list which was released recently.

The travel website described Manila residents as “famously welcoming,” and the city a “friendly place to spend some time in.”

Roxas Boulevard, Manila (supplied)

“It’s a place where locals have a buzzing attitude and an eagerness to show off their city to out-of-towners,” the article stated.

Cebu City, on the other hand, was recognized for its “exuberant vibe” and the presence of multiculturalism among its residents.

Ayala Center, Cebu City

Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Chiang Mai were the hailed the top three friendliest cities in Asia.

Big 7 Travel said they surveyed their “social audience of 1.5 million” for the list.

There were no specific criteria given to respondents, but factors such as where they felt the most welcome and how easy they navigated the area either with the help of locals or not were considered.

Big 7 Media is a travel website that features content on food, travel, and hotels around the world.