Indian hospitality giant Taj Hotels is eyeing Manila for its first luxury property in the Philippines, a move welcomed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as it pushes to attract more Indian investments in the country’s growing tourism sector.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco confirmed the company’s interest after meeting Taj Hotels executives Anita Gupta and Ankur Chandra as well as The Oberoi Group vice president for strategic development Dhruv Hoon, on the sidelines of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s state visit to India.
“Definitely, we have been deliberating on expanding in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, with Manila being the country’s gateway city, is on our radar. Our intent is to bring a luxury offering outside of India,” Gupta said during the meeting.
Frasco said the Philippines needs significant additions to its tourism infrastructure, particularly hotels, resorts, and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) facilities.
The country has over 335,000 hotel rooms, but demand is expected to reach 456,000 by 2028.
“We’re actively seeking partners to bridge this gap,” Frasco said, noting the improved investment climate with the enactment of the Create More Act, which grants incentives to tourism-related projects.
She also cited ongoing public-private partnerships in major gateways such as Manila, Cebu, and Bohol, which will boost airport capacity nationwide.
To draw more Indian visitors, Frasco cited upcoming measures including Air India’s direct flights to Manila, the rollout of the Digital Nomad Visa, visa-free entry for Indian nationals, and a planned VAT refund program for foreign tourists.
The DOT is also promoting the Special Resident Retirees’ Visa, which has drawn over 55,000 retirees to settle in the country.
Esquire Financing Inc. chief executive Raj Uttamchandani, also an investor in The Farm at San Benito in Batangas, lauded the strong returns from Philippine tourism.
“It’s the best place to invest in today. We’ve grown our investment tenfold in five years, supported by government banks offering tourism funding at subsidized rates below 5 percent. With the administration’s efforts and the DOT’s push, the next decade will be the best time to invest in Philippine tourism,” he said.
