Be My Guest’ program launched in LA to invite Fil-Ams, travelers to PH

by DonnAbelle gAtDulA-AreVAlo AJPress

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of Filipino American travel enthusiasts and tourism industry players recently flocked to the official launch of the Bisita, Be My Guest (BBMG) program of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT).

This was the first-ever Philippine tourism fair of the Marcos administration in the United States after the twoyear hiatus from the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. has consistently been on the top list of international travelers to the Philippines with about 500,000 arrivals in 2022.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco told reporters on the sidelines of the BBMG launch in Burbank on Saturday, April 22 that the current administration is optimistic that the U.S. market would continue to be one of the leading countries with the highest number of international arrivals to the Philippines.

“I am extremely delighted to know that the Philippines continues to be a top of line destination for our friends here in the United States. The United States has continued to be a very strong source market for us having been number one last year and number two (as of the first quarter of 2023) this year so we courtesy of the Philippine Department of Tourism are very excited to welcome more of our Filipino and foreign friends to the Philippines,” Frasco said.

“Last year, it was the United States market that really sustained Philippine international tourism, having been number 1 and having garnered 500,000 international arrivals. As we have

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