The country will now have a shield against the impact of the global economic recession with the enactment into law of the tourism bill said Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today.

With incentives that are more generous than those given to export processing zones and one-stop shop processing, the new tourism bill slated for signing by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Cebu is drawing great interest from foreign domestic investors alike.

The Tourism Bill crafted this year has reached President Gloria Arroyo’s desk and she will sign it soon, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Sunday.

“I can assure the industry and all its stakeholders that the bill will be signed very soon,” Remonde said in a radio interview this morning. “This is good news for all stakeholders in the tourism industry.”

Hotels in Metro Manila recorded their highest occupancy rates during the month of love for two years running, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported on Wednesday.

With tourism taking center stage in the Arroyo Administration, Sen. Richard Gordon said he expects the government to use this untapped sector to prop up Philippine economy amid the global financial crisis.

The Philippines’ world ranking on competitiveness in the travel and tourism industry fell five notches this year, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) study released on Wednesday.

The Senate on Thursday dawn ratified the consolidated report of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the tourism measure that would grant incentives to tourism industry players, generate more jobs and increase revenues of local government units (LGUs).

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today hailed the passage by the Senate-House bicameral conference committee of the tourism bill he authored and sends it for Congress' ratification before it takes its month-long recess starting on March 7.

So much has been said and so much has been written about it. But the best way to really take in all the superlatives is really just to be there! This is Batanes province!

More than 75,000 foreign and local tourists had already trooped to Intramuros to visit the History Town Philippines which re-opened a month ago.

 Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on tourism, said the Intramuros Administration (IA) reported that at least 75,000 visitors have already visited History Town in the walled city since it re-opened last December 5, 2008.

Air travel in the country would slow down and hit a single-digit growth in the first quarter this year, which would sit well with the tourism industry, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said.

Carmelo Arcilla, CAB executive director, said that based from industry data, the Philippines has yet to feel the full effect of the global financial crisis and only after the peak travel season is over will the airlines feel the pinch.

About three millions Catholic devotees on Friday flocked the streets of central Manila to join in the yearly procession of the image of the Black Nazarene, even as almost 200 of the participants sustained injuries.

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today lauded the revival of Intramuros as the country's history town, showcasing historical events and cultures from the different regions in the country.

MANILA, Dec. 9 — A "Museum of Islamic Culture" within the Walled City that would showcase the rich history and culture of the Filipino Muslims in the country will be built said independent Senator Richard J. Gordon.

Feeling a bit cold and out of place in his denim puruntong shorts and a simple shirt, a 12-old Andoy Dalimag seemed more suited for a romp at a popular mall than a visit to the Senate.