Be ready for a winter escape: The Philippines awaits

How about escaping the winter by going to the Philippines?

The Philippine Consulate General in New York and the Philippine Department of Tourism in New York launched the first ever New York Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour 2027: Winter Escapade Edition on August 19, 2026 at the Philippine Center.

Scheduled to take place from February 7-21, 2027, the 2027 edition marks the first time the VIP Tour will be jointly undertaken with the Winter Escapade program, bringing them together after several years of separate programming travelers from the United States and Canada.

The tour is managed by the Rajah Tours and actively participated by Philippine Airlines. It will begin in Manila, and thereafter participants may choose among five pocket-tour destinations namely Leyte, Legazpi–Naga, Siargao, Camiguin, and Bohol. Participants will then proceed to the final leg of the tour, with a choice between Iloilo–Bacolod and El Nido, Palawan.

The winter escapade is a much-awaited program by Filipinos in the East Coast and is expected to further boost tourism in the Philippines. The Philippines is the most visited country in Southeast Asia in 2026 by US guests at more than 500,000 visitors from January -May 2026, followed by Thailand at 471,000 guests.

Maria Meredith Malasig with PAL executives Jose Maria Alvarado, Goldwyn Salazar, and Syed Shahid at the New York launch of the Winter Escapade Program of the 2027 VIP Tour.

Maria Meredith Malasig, a participant in the 2026 VIP Tour this summer, recommended the tour for everyone, saying that the whole program was thoroughly organized and made her feel like a VIP (Very Important Person). “Very heartwarming,” she said.

For details of the winter escapade, go to https://viptourphilippines.com/(A Press Release from the Philippine Consulate General in New York)