Tourism Secretary Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay said the initiative is designed to complement—not replace—the country’s flagship “Love the Philippines” campaign by giving travelers the opportunity to define their own travel experiences.

Initially focused on the domestic market, the campaign will introduce curated and discounted travel packages developed with tourism stakeholders, including hotels, airlines, and other travel providers. The DOT also plans to eventually expand the initiative to international audiences.

The campaign comes as domestic tourism continues to be a major contributor to the Philippine economy. According to the DOT, domestic travel generated PHP3.26 trillion in visitor spending in 2025, up 3% from the previous year.

Beyond driving local travel, the tourism department is also working to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in international markets, particularly as neighboring Southeast Asian destinations attract more Korean visitors through lower travel costs.

To address this, the DOT is collaborating with tourism stakeholders to develop bundled travel offers aimed at making trips to the Philippines more affordable and predictable.

The campaign has since secured support from industry partners, with AirAsia Philippines becoming one of its first airline collaborators by offering promotional domestic fares through the campaign platform. 

The airline has launched more than half a million promo seats with one-way base fares, reinforcing its commitment to making domestic travel more accessible.

Anna Victoria Lu, President and General Manager of AirAsia Philippines, said the partnership reflects the airline’s shared goal with the DOT of driving domestic tourism through affordable travel. 

“At AirAsia, we are one with DOT in its efforts to keep travel accessible so that more Filipinos can discover and appreciate the incredible destinations within our own country. Despite these challenging times, AirAsia strives to provide the best fares and deals for our customers.”

Our partnership with the Department of Tourism strengthens our shared goal of driving domestic tourism growth as this is deeply rooted in our low-cost DNA,” she added.

Meanwhile, the DOT remains optimistic about achieving at least 6.4 million international arrivals by the end of 2026, with the United States currently leading as the Philippines’ top inbound tourism market.

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The updates span Agoda’s flights and accommodation offerings, introducing real-time travel information, new hotel browsing features, and AI-driven tools aimed at improving the booking experience.

For flight bookings made through Agoda’s iOS and Android apps, users can now receive real-time updates throughout their journey. Following booking confirmation, travellers are provided with notifications covering flight status, gate and terminal details, check-in counters, and baggage carousel information.

On the accommodation side, Agoda has launched Gallery View on its iOS app, a new hotel browsing format that places greater emphasis on property imagery. The company has also introduced an AI-powered feature that matches hotel photos with relevant guest reviews, allowing users to view feedback related to specific property features such as rooms, pools, and dining facilities.

In addition, Agoda has expanded language support for flight-related chat queries. The update adds support for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Thai, and Indonesian, while also introducing five additional language options for users in Hong Kong.

The company has also enhanced its multi-product booking engine, enabling travellers to book hotels, flights, and activities within a single transaction. Booked trip components are consolidated under the ‘My Trips’ section on Agoda’s app and website, allowing users to manage their itineraries from one location.

The latest product updates form part of Agoda’s broader efforts to streamline trip planning and management across its platform, which currently offers access to more than six million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes, and more than 300,000 activities worldwide.

Ittai Chorev, Chief Product Officer at Agoda, said, “Travel is always a little stressful, so having the right information at the right time is both useful and reduces stress. Whether that means seeing the reviews that matter to you alongside relevant images when booking a hotel or knowing your gate number before even reaching the airport when booking a flight, these updates help travellers make better decisions at every step of their journey.”

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The annual report found that Muslim travellers are increasingly turning to AI to discover halal dining options, locate prayer facilities, compare transport routes, receive personalised recommendations, and navigate unfamiliar destinations with greater confidence.

The findings signal a broader shift in travel planning, where destinations are no longer judged solely by the availability of Muslim-friendly services, but also by how visible and discoverable these offerings are through digital platforms and AI systems.

“As AI becomes more embedded in travel planning, destinations and businesses need to make trusted information, secure payments and Muslim-friendly services easier to discover and act on,” said Aisha Islam, Senior Vice President for Customer Solutions Centre, Southeast Asia at Mastercard.

The report noted that destinations failing to digitise and structure their Muslim-friendly offerings risk being overlooked by AI recommendation engines, regardless of the strength of their physical infrastructure.

Beyond digital transformation, the study found that global volatility is also reshaping travel behaviour. Rising fuel costs, geopolitical tensions, airspace disruptions and security concerns are encouraging Muslim travellers to prioritise destinations that are closer to home and offer greater predictability.

This trend has elevated Southeast Asia as a key travel corridor, supported by strong regional connectivity, established halal ecosystems and cultural familiarity.

The region’s growing prominence was reflected in the GMTI Awards, with Mindanao in the Philippines recognised as the Most Promising Muslim-friendly Region among non-OIC destinations, while West Java (Jawa Barat) in Indonesia received the equivalent recognition among OIC destinations.

Asia continues to dominate the Muslim travel landscape, accounting for nearly 128 million Muslim visitor arrivals and achieving 20.8% market penetration, according to the report.

For the 11th consecutive year, Malaysia retained its title as the world’s top Muslim-friendly destination, scoring 82 points on the index. The country was recognised for its strong halal tourism ecosystem, Muslim-friendly services and destination marketing efforts tied to the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

Indonesia climbed three places to share second position with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, with all three destinations scoring 79 points.

Among non-OIC destinations, Singapore maintained its lead and ranked 11th globally with a score of 72, buoyed by its halal culinary offerings, multicultural environment, safety standards and smart destination infrastructure.

Hong Kong rose to second place among non-OIC destinations, while Taiwan and the United Kingdom shared third place.

The report also highlighted growing momentum from destinations such as Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea, which continue investing in more inclusive and Muslim-friendly experiences.

As travel planning evolves, GMTI 2026 introduced a new framework called the Destination Activation Stack, designed to help tourism boards move beyond basic readiness.

The model combines the existing ACES framework—which assesses access, communications, environment and services—with the RIDA and TRUST frameworks to evaluate factors such as digital discoverability, responsible experiences, traveller assurance and the trust signals that convert interest into bookings.

“Modern travellers are looking for certainty before they step onto a plane, and they are increasingly delegating that validation process to intelligent systems,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip.

“This requires a structural transition from passive destination readiness to active destination activation.”

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New data from Criteo shows APAC travel demand remained resilient heading into the spring season, with hotel traffic rising and a late spike of nearly 30% year-on-year, even as OTA conversion rates softened 10% year-on-year in Q1.

The report found that while overall demand remains steady, travellers are becoming more selective about how and where they travel. Air traffic in the region fell 17% year-on-year in Q1 2026, as tensions in the Middle East prompted some travellers to reconsider long-haul plans. However, demand has largely shifted toward nearer destinations rather than declined.

In April, air bookings rose 1.0% for short-haul and 1.8% for medium-haul travel year-on-year, while long-haul bookings fell 2.8%, signalling a continued pivot to regional travel. Rather than a broad pullback, the data points to a recalibration in demand, creating opportunities for destination marketers and online travel agencies focused on shorter-haul routes.

Criteo also found that APAC travellers are spending more time researching and comparing options before booking. On average, travellers browse around 25 hotel listings before booking, while 66% cite reviews as a key decision factor. For travel brands in the region, the challenge has shifted from attracting interest to closing bookings.

This longer consideration period is also reflected in APAC’s extended booking season compared to other regions. Travel bookings outpaced retail sales week-on-week from early July through mid-October 2025, longer than in both EMEA and the Americas. The trend signals an extended activation window for marketers, supporting always-on campaign strategies over short, peak-driven bursts.

At the same time, travellers are increasingly turning to AI tools for planning, with APAC leading adoption. The report found that full-trip AI planning is most common in the region, with 45% of Japanese travellers and 47% of South Korean travellers using AI for end-to-end trip planning, versus a global average of 30%.

AI is also emerging as a key channel in the travel journey. In March 2026, ChatGPT accounted for a higher share of travel booking page visits than traditional search by 13 percentage points, while 72% of Criteo’s travel clients recorded at least one booking from ChatGPT referrals.

Criteo said the shift underscores the need to identify high-intent travellers rather than focus on volume. In partnership with the company, Skyscanner shifted its mid-funnel success metric from clicks to “Engaged Search Sessions”, defined as sessions where users did not bounce and completed at least one search for flights, hotels or car hire. Campaigns optimised on this metric in India and Canada delivered up to a 67% lift in ROI and an 80% increase in engaged search sessions.

As travellers navigate a more cost-conscious and complex environment, Criteo said brands that best convert will be those using real-time commerce data, AI-driven targeting, intent-based strategies and full-funnel activation to engage travellers throughout the booking journey.

“In Japan and South Korea, nearly half of travellers are now turning to AI in their trip planning, a strong signal for the rest of APAC. How a hotel, airline, or destination is surfaced and described by AI now matters as much as how it’s advertised,” said Szi Wei Lo, Executive Managing Director, APAC, Criteo. 

“Travel brands no longer win simply by outbidding competitors — they win by making it easier for travellers to understand, compare and choose their offering. The travel brands that pull ahead will be those treating content and product data as the driver of discovery, not a back-end concern.”

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In a statement issued on June 4, the airline said all Philippines AirAsia flights remain fully operational and continue to run as scheduled, subject only to standard operational considerations such as weather conditions.

The company said the circulating reports misrepresent the state of the business and risk creating unnecessary uncertainty among travellers.

Tony Fernandes, Co-founder and Advisor of AirAsia Group, said AirAsia remains committed to the Philippine market, where the airline carries nearly seven million passengers annually.

“AirAsia has long championed affordable travel and will continue to stand firmly against any development that harms consumers or restricts access to air connectivity,” Fernandes said.

He added that the group remains heavily invested in the Philippines’ aviation infrastructure, including developments at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which the airline said would support network growth, improved operational efficiency, and lower operating costs.

The statement also positioned the issue within broader concerns around market competition in Philippine aviation, with AirAsia arguing that reduced competition could ultimately lead to fewer consumer choices and higher fares.

Fernandes said the group plans to deploy more aircraft into its Philippine operations as part of its wider fleet expansion strategy and ambitions to strengthen its low-cost carrier network globally.

Philippines AirAsia said it remains committed to supporting tourism, economic growth, and affordable domestic and regional air connectivity for Filipino travellers.

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Under the scheme, parents can create up to 10 child accounts within the YouTrip app, giving children access to physical payment cards while allowing adults to monitor transactions, top up balances, lock cards, and customise spending permissions in real time.

“At YouTrip, innovation has always started with listening closely to what our users need in their everyday lives,” said Caecilia Chu, Co-Founder and CEO of YouTrip.

“YouTrip Family felt like a very natural next step as we guide our children to smarter and more relevant ways of spending,” she said.

Children using YouTrip Family will have access to the same exchange rates and zero foreign exchange fee structure available to adult users across more than 150 countries. 

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Depending on parental controls, they may also conduct peer-to-peer transfers, overseas ATM withdrawals, online purchases, and in-app currency exchanges within predefined limits.

Unlike traditional junior bank accounts, YouTrip Family is built around a parent-controlled structure linked through Singpass verification. Parents remain the primary account holders and retain approval authority over onboarding, spending permissions, and security authentication.

Children are not required to download the YouTrip app to use the card, although they may access balances and transaction histories through login credentials tied to their own mobile number and email address.

The company said the service will launch at no additional fee, with one physical card issued per child account.

Originally built around multi-currency spending and overseas payments, the platform has benefited from the sharp rebound in regional tourism and outbound travel across Asia since border reopenings.

At launch, YouTrip Family is available to Singapore citizens. Permanent residents and other Singapore-based pass holders are expected to gain access from September.

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According to the reports, international Muslim visitor arrivals are estimated at 186 million in 2025 and are expected to grow to 245 million by the end of the decade. The reports also note that baseline services such as Halal food availability and prayer spaces have become more established in many destinations, while newer expectations are emerging around safety, digital confidence and faith-aligned assurance.

Asia continues to play a significant role in the global Muslim travel market. The report estimates that the region attracted nearly 120 million Muslim visitors in 2024, accounting for around 65% of the world’s 176 million global Muslim travelers.

The study attributes the region’s strong position to connectivity, cultural diversity, established Halal infrastructure and proximity between major Muslim source markets and destinations.

Southeast Asia in particular is seen as well placed to capture future demand. Countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei are cited among preferred destinations for Muslim women travelers. The reports also identify Southeast Asia as a significant source market, accounting for around 5.8 million Muslim women travelers.

Beyond Muslim-majority countries, the reports point to growing opportunities for destinations that can make their Muslim-friendly services more visible and reliable to travelers.

In 2025, Muslim women travelers accounted for 90 million international arrivals, representing 48% of global Muslim visitor arrivals. This marks an increase from 63 million travelers and a 45% share in 2019.

The report notes that Muslim women are increasingly shaping travel planning across a range of travel types, including family vacations, solo travel, religious journeys, business trips and women-led group experiences.

Safety and comfort remain the most important factors in destination choice, cited by 60% of Muslim women travelers surveyed. Muslim-friendliness — including access to Halal food, prayer spaces and the ability to dress modestly without discrimination — was cited by 30% of respondents.

Digital platforms are also playing an important role in travel planning. The report found that 68% of respondents said social media influences their travel decisions, with Instagram identified as the most-used platform, followed by YouTube and TikTok. Artificial intelligence tools are also increasingly used by travelers to research destinations, plan itineraries and identify Halal-friendly services.

“Muslim travel is entering a more sophisticated phase, where confidence, inclusion and purpose are becoming as important as access and convenience,” said Aisha Islam, Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions Center, Southeast Asia at Mastercard. “Through the RIDA framework, destinations and businesses have a practical way to think about the full traveler journey from trusted digital information and secure payments to meaningful experiences that respect faith, culture, safety and personal values.”

The RIDA framework refers to the following:

• Responsible: support community-led tourism, environmental stewardship and regenerative travel practices. 
• Immersive: create deeper cultural, heritage and local experiences that go beyond sightseeing. 
• Digital: use technology, AI and secure digital payments to reduce friction and increase confidence. 
• Assured: build trust through verified Halal services, safety standards, inclusive infrastructure and consistent quality across touchpoints.

The reports highlight an opportunity for destinations to strengthen their appeal by making Muslim-friendly services more visible, verifiable and consistent.

Under the RIDA framework, destinations are encouraged to support community-led tourism and environmental stewardship, offer deeper cultural experiences, adopt digital tools such as AI and secure payment systems, and ensure reliable Halal services and inclusive infrastructure.

“For destinations, the opportunity is to move from availability to assurance,” said Raudha Zaini, Director of Operations, CrescentRating. “Muslim travelers are looking for experiences that are meaningful, inclusive and easy to trust. The destinations that clearly communicate their readiness and deliver consistently across the journey will be best positioned to earn long-term loyalty.”

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According to the study, travel behaviour in the region has shifted from being largely aspirational to more intentional, as travellers become more cautious about spending and rely increasingly on familiar brands.

The report indicates that travellers today are more digitally engaged but also more economically cautious, making decisions shaped by familiarity and trust rather than exploration. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, social media platforms, and broader economic pressures have contributed to what the study describes as a more compressed decision-making process, where travel brands are evaluated more quickly and compared more critically.

Across APAC, 57% of travellers reported using AI for travel planning. However, the report also found that 53% consider AI recommendations to be generic, while 42% say the technology makes them more likely to stay with familiar brands.

According to the study, AI is functioning less as a tool for discovery and more as a validation filter, favouring brands that consumers already recognise and trust.

The report also highlights differences across Southeast Asian markets, noting that travel behaviour varies significantly within the region.

Malaysia: High influence, lower trust

In Malaysia, travellers appear highly influenced by digital content but remain cautious about acting on it. The study found that 67% of Malaysian travellers rely on social media for travel inspiration. At the same time, 67% said they are choosing more affordable destinations, while 63% reported that geopolitical concerns influence their travel decisions.

This dynamic, according to the report, creates a situation where brands may achieve visibility online but struggle to convert that attention into bookings without strong credibility signals.

Audrey Chong, CEO of Dentsu Malaysia, said, “Travel marketing often assumes that more inspiration automatically creates more demand. Malaysia proves the opposite. Malaysian travelers have developed an unusually sharp instinct for separating perception from reality.”

She added, “Years of economic pressure and digital saturation have created consumers who are incredibly adaptive, knowing know how to navigate abundance without fully trusting it. That changes the role of branding entirely. This is where inspiration may open the door, but credibility is what gets a brand invited in.”

Vietnam: Experience-led but constrained

In Vietnam, travellers show the strongest interest in experiential travel across the region. The report found that Vietnamese respondents prioritise experiences at a rate 12 percentage points higher than the regional average.

Despite this appetite for experiences, the market also recorded the highest level of trip postponements in APAC, at 31%. The study further found that 63% of respondents in Vietnam are navigating geopolitical concerns, while 40% view travel as an extension of everyday life.

According to the report, Vietnamese travellers increasingly approach travel with deliberate intent, with many prioritising meaningful experiences over generic offerings. Domestic and nearby destinations also remain popular, influenced by concerns over currency fluctuations and regional tensions.

Thu Nguyen, CEO of Dentsu Vietnam, said, “Vietnam’s travel mindset today is incredibly revealing of where Southeast Asia is heading next. This is a market with enormous appetite for experience, self-expression and personal enrichment, but also one that is acutely aware of constraint. Vietnamese consumers are simply becoming more selective about what deserves emotional and financial investment. That makes this one of the most emotionally intelligent travel markets in the region, but also one operating with far more nuance than many brands realise.”

***

Overall, the study suggests that travel consumers across Southeast Asia are becoming more selective and emotionally driven in their decision-making. While AI may accelerate the discovery of travel options, the report indicates that it is also shortening the evaluation process and reinforcing the advantage of brands that already hold consumer trust.

For travel marketers, the findings suggest that building credibility and distinctive brand positioning may be increasingly important as travellers weigh options more carefully before making decisions.

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The report identifies Vietnamese travellers as the region’s most enthusiastic adopters of AI for travel planning. While adoption remains at an early stage, overall sentiment toward the technology is largely positive.

According to the study, 86% of Vietnamese travellers either trust AI-generated information or feel neutral about it, with 59% expressing a neutral stance and 28% saying they actively trust AI. The findings point to potential for wider adoption as AI-powered travel tools become more familiar and widely available.

The report also notes that Vietnam’s rapid digital transformation and expanding tech ecosystem have contributed to the growing integration of AI across everyday activities, including travel planning.

Among Vietnamese users already engaging with AI tools, the most common uses include recommendations for local attractions and activities, suggestions for restaurants and dining options, personalised travel itineraries (30%), and real-time language translation (30%).

Commenting on the findings, Lam Vu, country director for Vietnam at Agoda, said, “It is impressive to see how open Vietnamese travellers are to applying technology to their travel journeys. This strong interest in AI reflects a broader mindset of curiosity, efficiency, and personalisation. As a digital travel platform, Agoda continuously invests in innovating our technology to deliver seamless, intuitive experiences – empowering travellers to explore the world in ways that suit their own preferences, pace, and style.”

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The campaign reimagines the Merlion as an anthropomorphic figure calling on tourists to venture beyond the usual postcard spots. At the centre of the rollout is a music video directed by Peggy Goh with music by creative audio studio Bumblebeat, which is being distributed across social media platforms.

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Alongside the content launch, Scoot is also offering a limited-time fare sale for travellers from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

“Travellers today are looking for experiences that feel personal, expressive and connected to culture, rather than being postcard perfect. This campaign reflects that shift by reimagining a familiar icon as an active character people can engage with and respond to,” said Calvin Chan, chief commercial officer at Scoot.

The campaign will also feature a social media challenge called #MerlionMadeMeDoIt, where key opinion leaders from participating markets respond to Merlion’s call to “pose somewhere else.” As part of the challenge, members of the public are invited to propose the next viral photo-op location in Singapore, with top entries winning trips to Singapore worth up to SGD3,500 (USD2,744).

The initiative also aligns with STB’s broader tourism push, “We Don’t Wait for Fun,” which targets early-career travellers aged 25 to 39.

“For early-career travellers in particular, fun doesn’t wait for perfect plans or ideal moments. Fun starts when curiosity strikes,” said John Conceicao, executive director of marketing partnerships, planning, and capability development at Singapore Tourism Board.

Lastly, Nimesh Desai, CEO, VML Singapore, commented, “Every tourist visits the Merlion. Now we’ve given him a voice, literally. One inviting you to experience Singapore beyond iconic landmarks. This campaign allowed us to connect with a new generation of travellers in a way that feels native to how they discover the world today: through content, and community online.”

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