Hi there folks, Happy World Tourism Day!

Tourism is playing a big role in the economic recovery of the country from the pandemic, not to mention that we are now so close to the pre-pandemic levels when it comes to tourist arrivals and local tourism.

After the World Health Organization declared the end of Covid-19 as a global public health emergency, more countries, including the Philippines, relaxed travel restrictions which encouraged people to make up for lost time and resulted in the phenomenon dubbed "revenge" travel.

This allowed favorite travel destinations to return to life with the same vibrancy before Covid-19, opening once again the gates for land, air, and sea travel.

With that, the Philippine Ports Authority, or PPA, launched on Monday, 25 September, its #PPAsyalTayo campaign in time for the expected influx of passengers during the "ber" months. The campaign advocates travel via the new and improved seaports to boost port operations and help the respective local economies.

It aims to change people's stereotypes of seaports. PPA general manager Jay Santiago's idea is to encourage people to try another mode of transport since a lot has been going on lately with the airports.

To avoid the long lines and hassles, there is an alternative route via the sea through all the 130 PPA ports nationwide.

Passenger traffic at PPA ports in 2022 reached 59,192,976, more than twice the number in 2021. Thirteen more ports opened this year, with 33 undergoing construction, of which 19 are set to be completed by the end of 2023.

In 2022 during the "ber" months, PPA recorded a total of 19,688,365 passengers at its 25 Port Management Officesw.

The highest number of passengers at almost six million was recorded at the Port of Iloilo, followed by the Ports of Batangas, Jordan (PMO Panay/ Guimaras), Babak (PMO Davao), and Calapan (PMO Mindoro).

PPA has also launched its latest #PPAsyalTayo music video which features travel destinations around the Philippines that can be accessed via seaports. It is 100 percent originally made and produced in-house by the PPA and its employees with no additional budget allocation. The original song "Lakbay Pinas" was composed by PMO Davao staffer Liberto de la Rosa Jr.

The #PPAsyalTayo logo was also originally created in-house without tapping outside sources or an ad agency, all free and a product of hard work.
The logo tells the story of the places and ports any traveler can visit starting in Luzon, going to the Visayas, and finally Mindanao.

The #PPAsyalTayo campaign is expected to bring a higher number of passengers to the ports these "ber" months and help the local economies rebound from the reeling effects of the pandemic.

With so many good reasons to travel via sea, what are you waiting for?

Let's go travel and enjoy the beauty of our country. This time let us try sea travel and marvel at the wonders our ports and the hardworking people at our ports can offer.

Yes, and as we travel, no matter where we are, we will be in the same boat.