Tourism Promotions Board launches free 'Travel Philippines' app
The Tourism Promotions Board (TBP) has just launched Travel Philippines, a free travel app that tourists can now use to conveniently plan their trip and help them navigate through the 'new normal' in traveling.
Travel Philippines app / Source: TPB
TPB's travel app is proudly Filipino made. It was created by TPB in partnership with HIMO Global, Inc., led by President Winston Damarillo, who gave a walkthrough of the app's features during its press launch.
According to Mr. Damarillo, the app runs on all devices and browsers and is absolutely free to use.
With the app, travelers can now plan their trip using its built-in itinerary maker. They can browse through the app's catalog of accredited hotels, resorts, restaurants, and tourist attractions in their desired destination.
There are currently six featured destinations in the Travel Philippines app, namely: Palawan, Bohol, Boracay, Ilocos Norte, Manila, and Baguio City. More locations will be added as more provinces open their doors to tourists.
Another great feature in the app is that users can now conveniently upload all their essential travel documents such as COVID-19 test results, safe/travel pass, hotel booking, airline booking, and their ID.
The Travel Philippines will also have a contact tracing feature and TPB plans to connect it to other existing apps of several local government units.
Some of the features of the Travel Philippines app / Source: TPB
The app is still in the partial stage of development, so users can expect more features to be rolled out soon, such as travel or hotel deals, dining deals and advance order feature for restaurants, cashless payment mode, and a chatbot.
TPB is also considering adding a list of local guides, service providers, and available transportation for each destination.
Another important feature of the app is the live travel advisory from the Department of Tourism (DOT), which will keep travelers updated on the latest news about tourism and alert them about any new mandate or safety protocol that needs to be implemented amid the pandemic.
The app also has an offline mode for smartphones and has the capacity to remember your preferences, which will be very useful when planning your next trip.
Celebrity vlogger Wil Dasovich approves of TPB's free travel app / Source: TPB
Not mandatory, but very helpful
DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat gave a speech during the TPB app's press launch. She commended everyone who has worked hard on the app, especially Himo Global President Winston Damarillo, who she kept in touch with every day to monitor the app development's progress.
She also underlined that the free travel app was created to respond to the ever-changing needs amid the pandemic.
“As we continue to reopen the country's tourism destinations, Travel Philippines timely serves as every tourist's official guide to safe and fun travel."
Many local government units have started developing their own travel app and they thought it would be nice to use just one app for all your travels instead of using a different one for each destination.
She emphasized that the goal for Travel Philippines is for it to become a one-stop-shop for travelers amid the 'new normal,'
“Travel Philippines marks DOT's continued push to breathe new life into the severely affected tourism industry by promoting safe and responsible travel.
“We look forward to seeing both domestic and international tourists use Travel Philippines in their future trips.”
TPB Chief Operating Officer Atty. Maria C. Velasco-Allones cleared that the free travel app will not be a requirement for domestic travel.
The Travel Philippines app was merely created to help travelers have a more convenient and safer trip and also to help make contact tracing easier.
It also aims to help hotels and restaurants recover from the economic consequences of the pandemic by giving them a platform to better promote their deals or packages.
Celebrity vlogger Wil Dasovich also gave a statement during the press launch for Travel Philippines. He expressed his approval on having a free travel app to build confidence in tourists when traveling amid the pandemic.
He believes that many Filipinos want to start traveling again, but they may be a bit apprehensive because they do not know all the guidelines and procedures of traveling in the 'new normal,' and this can be addressed by TPB's free travel app.
Wil accentuated, “This is what we all need to travel again.”
How to save the app to your home screen
For those who are interested to try the Travel Philippines app, below are the instructions on how to save it to your home screen.
For Android users:
- Open Google Chrome.
- Go to app.philippines.travel
- Open the browser menu.
- Click 'Add to home screen.'
- Follow the onscreen instructions to install.
For iOS users:
- Open the Safari browser.
- Go to app.philippines.travel
- Tap the 'Share' button then scroll down and tap 'Add to home screen.'
- Enter your desired shortcut name for the app.
- The app will then show up on your home screen like a native iOS app.
Let us know how your Travel Philippines app experience goes in the comments section, mga Kapuso.
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You might also want to check out must-see Ilocos Norte destinations.