Online travel booking apps vow to share stats with DOT, PSA

During the 29th National Statistics Month reception in Pasay City, DOT-accredited online travel booking platforms TravelBook PH, Tralulu, and Bliimo Technologies said basic demographics may be extracted from their applications. (Photo: Department of Tourism – Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — Online travel booking companies on Tuesday committed to partner with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in providing them travel and tourism statistics allowed for sharing.

During the 29th National Statistics Month reception in Pasay City, DOT-accredited online travel booking platforms TravelBook PH, Tralulu, and Bliimo Technologies said basic demographics may be extracted from their applications.

“As long as it’s not covered by the data privacy law, we don’t mind cooperating if there’s a request,” Tralulu founder and chief executive officer Andrew Cua said.

TravelBook PH’s head for customer operations department John Ray Lomugdang shared similar sentiments.

“For our site, TravelBook.ph, we are willing to collaborate. I think the survival of this industry would depend on how we would collaborate with each other and try not to focus much on market share but in making the whole tourism pie bigger,” he said.

DOT Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III welcomed the offer, saying statistics from these online travel booking platforms “will be very usable once it has been processed and analyzed.”

The offer was made in celebration of the National Statistics Month (NSM) focused on reflecting the relevance of statistics in achieving sustainable tourism in the country.

This year’s NSM’s theme is “Exploring Philippine Wonders in Numbers: Statistics Towards Sustainable Tourism Development.”

During the reception, the PSA and DOT also awarded media practitioners with the 8th NSM Media Awards for promoting official statistical information through their reports and stories on print, online, radio and television.

The recipients were Jasper Arcalas from the Business Mirror, Michael Joe Delizo from Bandila and DZMM Teleradyo, and Pauline Macaraeg from Entrepreneur Philippines.