The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said it is seeing a surge in travelers during the Holy Week due to social media promotions of travel destinations in the country.
As the country's tourism continues to recover due to easing travel restrictions since the Covid-19 state of public health emergency has been lifted, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago said more travelers are expected to flock to ports this upcoming Holy Week break.
In an ambush interview, Santiago said social media and the efforts of the Department of Tourism (DOT) also play a part in encouraging more travelers to explore the Philippines.
"Napakalaking bagay yung naitutulong ng social media at sa effort ng Department of Tourism (DOT) para nae-expose yung destinations nation (Social media and the DOT play a big role in exposing more travel destinations in the country)," Santiago noted during his inspection at the Batangas Port, the largest port in the country.
"Kung mapapansin niyo, napakaraming destinasyon na mga bago sa pandinig o paningin natin na accessible na pinupuntahan ng mga kababayan nation (If you'll notice, there are a lot of new destinations you haven't heard yet or haven't seen yet that are not being explored by fellow Filipinos)," he added.
According to the PPA, about 1.73 million travelers are expected to flock to public ports nationwide this coming Holy Week.
The said numbers are 3.5 percent higher compared to the 1.67 million passengers logged by PPA ports last year.
Meanwhile, the Batangas Port typically caters to around 20,000 to 25,000 passengers daily during the peak season.
Passengers at the port in Batangas are expected to peak on Easter Sunday, with nearly 280,000 traveling.