‘Balikan.ph’: DOT launches website with exclusive travel deals for balikbayans


Deals and dicsounts from airlines, hotels, tour operators, and travel agencies await Balikbayans who will come back home this Christmas season.

Kids swim in Boracay Island when the country’s most famous beach destination reopened to local tourists in October 2020. (Tara Yap)

This, after the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched its one-stop site Balikan.ph which offers as much as 50 percent discount on vacation packages exclusive for returning overseas Filipinos (OFs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The Balikan.ph website is part of the “Balikan ang Pilipinas” campaign of the DOT to encourage OFs and OFWs to come home for the holiday season and rediscover the Philippines with their loved ones.

“Through the Balikan.ph website, we can offer great travel deals from airlines and DOT-accredited hotels, resorts, and tour operators to our Balikbayans and their families,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

“This is one way to make their visit here more affordable and fun, especially after a long separation caused by the pandemic,” she added.

Different travel promotions and packages will be posted on the website which will lead them to the merchant’s page for more information on the deals and discounts.

The offers have been curated in cooperation with the various airlines, DOT-accredited establishments, the Philippine Tour Operators Association Inc. (PHLTOA), the Philippine Hotel Owners Association Inc. (PHOA), and the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International Inc. (HSMA).

Interested balikbayans are encouraged to regularly check the site for updated list and details of travel deals. The campaign will run until March 2022.