Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
BusinessMirror
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For the love of coffee
I APPRECIATE a good cup of coffee. OK, it’s more of a mug. In my pre-pandemic travels, I made it a point to buy coffee beans from whichever country I was visiting at that moment. Even in my visits to local tourist destinations, I would sip the local brew and… → Read More
Chinese tourists celebrating Lunar New Year elsewhere except in the Philippines
THE Philippines has yet to benefit from the sudden reopening of mainland China to international travel. In its latest report, global ticketing data aggregator ForwardKeys said outbound flight bookings by Chinese travelers jumped by 192 percent between December 26, 2022 and January 3, 2023, compared to the same period last… → Read More
MIAA chief aims for quiet, seamless airport at Naia
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror FROM most stressful to a quiet airport. That is one of the aims of Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Cesar Chiong for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia). He told a select group of journalists he wants to… → Read More
DOT targets 4.8-million foreign tourists, $5.8-billion visitor receipts in 2023
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror THE lack of direct flights to the Philippines is one of the major challenges in attracting more foreign visitors. “I’ve just returned from Saudi Arabia in Riyadh and attended the World Travel and Tourism Council and the outlook for the Philippines in Saudi Arabia and → Read More
Finding that perfect gift
STILL looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones or clients? Honey, there’s no such thing. And the quicker you realize that, the less stressful your holiday gift-giving will be. If you’re the company president or a top business executive who likes to spend on corporate giveaways, then make sure your gifts are → Read More
Carriers, hotels: Brisk holiday travel as airfare cost steady
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror THE cost of airfare will likely be the same in December and not likely affect holiday vacation plans of the public. In a text message to the BusinessMirror, Xander Lao, Chief Commercial Officer of low-cost flag carrier Cebu Pacific said, “While the cost of aviation → Read More
Hotel sector still faces challenges in recovery
DESPITE an increase in hotel bookings, the accommodations industry is still not out of the woods. In his welcome remarks at the recent 8th Virtus Awards, Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) president Benjamin Martinez said the group “generated P35 million in gross sales” during the group’s September Online Sale (SOS), with 78 member hotels → Read More
Bringing the Philippines to the world
MARGA Nograles is buzzing with excitement. As the new Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) chief operating officer, she is currently preoccupied in putting the country’s best foot forward at the ongoing Philippine Travel Exchange, and reintroducing the Philippines at the World Travel Market in London this November. She also wants to launch an updated Travel Philippines → Read More
Commuter woes and even more commuter woes
COMMUTING in the Philippines sucks. The problem isn’t just isolated to our daily struggles here in Metro Manila, where effing bus and MRT queues are the norm, but even when, say, you need to take a pump boat from Caticlan to Boracay. One arrives at the jetty port where no one tells you what to → Read More
Boracay tourists no longer have to wear face mask on the beach
FINALLY! Actual fresh air. The local government of Malay, Aklan has lifted the mask mandate on Boracay Island, where tourists go especially to swim and breathe in the clean sea air on the white beach. Executive Order No. 26 by Municipal Mayor Frolibar S. Bautista on September 12 suspended Municipal Ordinance No. 470, specifically with → Read More
Another Shangri-La hotel in PHL closes
JEN Manila by Shangri-La Hotel will close its doors effective September 1, 2022. This, despite a 20-year hotel management contract between the property owner, New Riviera Hotel Development Corp., with the Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd., which was supposed to end in 2035. In a news statement, the hotel along Roxas Blvd. in Pasay City → Read More
DOT pins hope on higher budget in 2023 to change country branding
IT’S still more fun in the Philippines, but should we state the obvious? Tourism Secretary-designate Christina Garcia Frasco confirmed that a new brand campaign will be launched next year, and was confident that the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) budget will be substantially increased to accommodate the creative changes that need to be made. “It's possible → Read More
Desperate for relief
LET’S get real. Yesterday, I purchased some grocery items and it wasn’t pretty. For a half kilo of chicken wings, not even from the popular brands, I paid P113. Two years ago, at the height of the pandemic lockdowns, that same price would have bought me close to a kilo… → Read More
Amare is love | Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
RIGHT before the Philippines-wide Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, I received news about the passing of our chef-friend, Chris Locher. While I knew he had been ill for some time, I thought he was still in his element running a new restaurant, Amare by Chef Chris, at the Clark Freeport. … → Read More
Screaming into my mask
WHEN Jurassic Park was shown in Manila in 1993, I watched it exactly five times. SM Centerpoint, now called SM City Sta. Mesa, was fairly new then and its theaters were quite clean and not that crowded. Each time the T-Rex would come into view at a precise point in… → Read More
Things are shaking in Clark
AS the country continues to relax pandemic restrictions, I like many people, have learned to leave the comfort and security of my home. I was proud of myself for having taken a P2P bus from Alabang to BGC recently, and a few trips on the MRT-3, which mercifully was not… → Read More
New Pinoy thrills in a world of Dreams
DECADENT comfort food. That’s how I would describe the dishes served at Haliya, the newest restaurant at City of Dreams Manila’s Nüwa Hotel. A recent dinner with COD Manila’s energetic Vice President for Public Relations Charisse G. Chuidian was indeed a showstopper of familiar Filipino dishes taken to the next… → Read More
Social events driving SM Group’s MICE business
ANGELES City, Pampanga—Social events are now helping drive the meetings and conventions business of the SM Group. In a news briefing to commemorate the opening of the SMX Convention Center here at the Clark Freeport on Tuesday, SMXCC Vice President for Sales and Marketing Agnes T. Pacis said, “One of the… → Read More
The business of unfriending
‘FRIENDING’ was a term coined during the Facebook era, when it became possible to connect with people outside of your regular social network and have a seemingly more lasting relationship with them, even just by posting of photos and status updates. I continue to use “friends” in quotation marks when… → Read More
What next, Philippines?
THE day after this year’s national elections, many of my friends posted on their Facebook accounts or messaged in our Viber chat groups how they felt devastated by the results in the presidential race. What was even more heartbreaking were their accounts of how their children felt. A number of… → Read More