Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. is expanding its land-based integrated resorts as online gaming grows in the Philippines, a top company official said on Wednesday.
Speaking at an industry expo, Newport World Resorts president and chief executive Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez said while online gaming is growing fast, physical resorts are still critical to the future of tourism and entertainment in the region.
Travellers, the developer and operator of Newport World Resorts in Pasay city, is a unit of Alliance Global Group Inc.
“Online play is not a substitute for the integrated resort experience, but it has become an additional touchpoint,” Rodriguez said.
In 2024, electronic gaming accounted for 41.5 percent of the country’s total gross gaming revenue (GGR). By the first half of 2025, that figure jumped to over 53 percent, exceeding $2 billion.
Rodriguez said land-based resorts should continue to evolve to remain competitive and relevant.
“Our role is not diminished but redefined—to anchor tourism, to deliver culture and entertainment, and to provide the human connection and experiences that online play can never replicate,” he said.
Travellers is building a $1.25-billion Westside City development, set to open in the third quarter of 2026. The project will include over 2,500 hotel rooms, more than 2,000 gaming machines and tables, and entertainment venues.
The group is also expanding its hotel and gaming operations in Cebu and Boracay.
To attract more customers, Travellers said it is expanding its non-gaming offerings with the launch of its first self-branded Filipino luxury property, the Narra Palm Resort & Villas.
It also teamed up with international dining brands like Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and its Newport Performing Arts Theater continues to stage Filipino and international productions.
Rodriguez expressed optimism about the Philippines’ place in the Asia-Pacific gaming market despite stiff competition.
“The fundamentals remain solid: a strategic location, an English-speaking workforce, a hospitality culture admired around the world, and a regulator committed to governance and innovation,” Rodriguez said.
“Together, these form the foundation for the Philippines’ continued ascent in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
