Advisories & News
Press Release
The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto Hosts the Canadian Leg of the Philippine Department of Tourism’s 2023 Very Important Pinoy Tour
2023-03-01
PR-2023-09
Toronto, 27 February – The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Toronto, led by Consul General Orontes V. Castro, hosted a leg of PDOT’s 2023 Very Important Pinoy Tour at the consular area of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto on 27 February 2023, Monday, at 4 pm, at the end of its regular consular operation hours.
After introductions made by Consul General Orontes V. Castro, PDOT Attache Francisco Hilario M. Lardizabal gave a presentation on two of DOT’s major tour programs, “Bisita Be My Guest” and Very Important Pinoy (VIP), to around 70 overseas Filipinos that were invited and present at the Consulate. Mr. Lardizabal encouraged the participants to inform other Filipinos and Canadians regarding the two campaigns as it will help the Philippines reach its tourism and economic targets, while giving the participants and referrers a chance to avail of the incentives that are a part of both programs.
The “Bisita Be My Guest” (BBMGY) program aims to involve the active participation of Filipinos in promoting the Philippines as a tourism destination. It is an incentivized promotional campaign launched last 13 December 2022 wherein OFWs, Overseas Filipinos, and Filipinos who invite foreigners to visit the country will be entitled to a raffle ticket and have a chance to win special prizes such as travel discounts and a chance to win a condominium and free vacation trips.
The “Bisita, Be My Guest” program hopes to bring benefits to the Philippines by way of increased tourism numbers through generating travellers’ interest on a larger scale. The campaign, which will run from January 2023 to April 2024, is led by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Meanwhile, the Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour is a campaign that is returning this year after a three-year hiatus and will take place from 16 to 24 July 2023. The tour will bring participants to scenic sights in Manila, Iloilo, and Boracay. The VIP tour packages start at US$1,968 for single occupancy, US$1,468.00 per person for double occupancy, and US$1,368 per person for triple occupancy. Children 3 to 12 years of age will be charged US$480 each. The first 100 participants availing of the combined tour package and airfare will be given special package rates from Philippine Airlines.
More information on the tour package rates and package inclusions are available on the VIP Tour website: https://viptourphilippines2023.com. To register for the VIP Tour, visit the website and fill out the online registration form. Deadline for registration is 01 April 2023 while the full payment deadline is on 01 May 2023. Registration after 01 April 2023 will be accepted but subject to room availability and the best available rate from the resorts/hotels and airline.
Consul General Orontes Castro also invited the participants to the Winter Escapade as soon as it is resumed. He informed them that they will be informed as soon as the schedule of Winter Escapade is finalized. END—