Industry News Updates brought to you by MY RANGGO Hospitality Magazine for the week 14-20 June 2025.
Our Industry News Update Headlines:-
- Mapúa University launches two new Hospitality Courses
- Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2025 released
- Insurance Company lists Philippines as Least Safe for tourists
- European Hoteliers file Class Action suit against Booking.com
- Airbnb deflects blame for European housing shortages to the hotel industry.
- Tourists locked out of The Louvre, Paris
Mapúa University launches two new courses for PH Hospitality and Tourism Students
Mapúa University, founded in 1925 by Don Tomas Mapua, is recognized by the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR) as one of the best schools in the world.
This week they announced the launch of two new hospitality education programs – a BS Tourism Management program and a BS Hospitality Management program.
The programs aim to transform students into bold and capable industry leaders, who are dedicated to elevating Tourism Standards once they enter the hospitality industry.
Students on these programs will be located at the newest Mapúa campus, which is within Seda Hotel, Manila Bay. This location enables practical learning within an operating hotel, with teaching from local and international faculty members and collaborators who are active in the hospitality industry.
Source: The Manila Times
Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2025
The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific were announced this week, showcasing the Philippines Best Hotels, Spa’s, Pools and General Managers.
Voted on by the publication’s readers The Shangri-La brand displayed a strong presence across almost all categories this year.
This years category winners are as follows:-
Best Beach, Island & UpCountry Resorts Philippines
- No 1. Dusit Thani Mactan, Cebu
- 2nd Shangri-La Boracay
- 3rd El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Best Hotel Pools Philippines
- No 1. Shangri-La Boracay
- 2nd Hilton Manila
- 3rd Shangri-La Edsa, Manila
Best City Hotels Philippines
- No.1 Raffles Makati
- 2nd Shangri-La The Fort, Makati
- 3rd Grand Hyatt, Manila
Best Hotel Spas Philippines
- No 1. Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu
- 2nd Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La, Boracay
- 3rd Conrad Spa, Conrad Manila
Best General Manager (GMs) Philippines
- No 1. Joegil Magtanggol Escobar, Discovery Coron
- 2nd Anna Vergara, Sheraton, Manila
- 3rd Gagan Talwar, Hilton Manila
Best Integrated Resorts South East Asia
- 4th City of Dream Manila
- 10th Okada Manila
Best Islands South East Asia
- 4th Palawan
- 10th Siargao
Source: Travel + Leisure South East Asia
Insurance Company lists Philippines as Least Safe for tourists
The recently released 2025 HelloSafe Safety Index caught flack from the Philippines Department Of Tourism, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Philippines IATA Agents Travel Association (PIATA) this week.
The controversy arose after the sites claim that the Philippines is the “least safe country” for travelers. HelloSafe had initially given the Philippines a safety index of 82.32, where countries close to an index of 100 are deemed the least safe.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco challenged the index – promoted as an objective safety index – citing questionable data and requested HelloSafe ensure accuracy and consistency in its methodology and reporting tools in future.
The DOT Facebook page shared a statement from Maria Paz Alberto, IATA & PIATA President.
This unjust characterization in the HelloSafe report not only misrepresents the realities of travel safety in the Philippines but also undermines the diligent efforts made by local stakeholders to promote tourism in the region. Such misleading narratives can deter prospective visitors, leading to profound and lasting repercussions for businesses reliant on inbound tourism. – Maria Paz Alberto, IATA & PIATA President.
The company has since updated the list, with the Philippines being removed and replaced with Sudan as the Least Safe Country. The Sudan is currently experiencing a civil war!
Read More Here: PhilStar
World Hospitality Industry News:
European Hoteliers file case against Booking.com
If you read our earlier Industry News this month you will know that European Hoteliers, and a European Hospitality Association, were considering filing a law suit against Booking.com. This came after a ruling by the European Court of Justice about Booking.com’s rate parity clauses.
The latest industry news on this is that hoteliers and hotel groups from more than 25 countries have now filed a class action lawsuit against the international OTA (Online Travel Agency). And they are seeking billions of Euro’s in compensation.
The lawsuit focuses on allegations of “excessive commissions” and restrictive pricing clauses that limited hoteliers ability to offer competitive rates to other OTA’s and on their own websites.
The lawsuit intends to recover at least a portion of commissions collected by Booking.com between 2004-2024. Travel Weekly claims that the payout in France alone could be as much as 1.5 Billion Euro’s.
Airbnb deflects blame for European housing shortages to the hotel industry.
Airbnb rejects accusations that it is causing housing shortages and over-tourism in European tourist spots. Instead they point the finger at the hotel industry.
In an earlier Industry News we highlighted the growing resident protests, and the steps being taken by authorities to clamp down on the rise of unregulated short-term rental properties in key European tourism hotspots.
Spanish courts have already ordered Airbnb to remove 65,000 properties that do not have the required business permits to operate as short-term holiday rentals in the country. And Athens has put a one-year freeze on applications for new permits for short-term accommodation, to try to manage housing shortages in the city.
Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb’s Vice President of Public Policy, has responded arguing that it is hotels that are the primary drivers of overcrowding in these areas, and not short-term rental platforms.
He pointed to a recent Airbnb Report which highlights 80% of tourists stay in hotels, rather than Airbnb or similar properties. And the platforms recommendation is that the authorities should not scapegoat Airbnb but focus on regulating hotel expansion, and building more housing for locals.
Source: The Independent
Tourists locked out of The Louvre, Paris
Thousands of people were temporarily denied entry to The Louvre in Paris on Monday 16th June, after staff refused to open the doors to the queues of waiting tourists.
Strike action taken by Front-of-House staff prevented thousands of tourists from accessing the tourism hotspot. Gallery attendants, security and reception workers resorted to an immediate strike after their monthly Information Session held on Monday morning. They requested a meeting with the museums leadership team.
According to Sarah Sefian, Union Rep of CGT-Culture, staff at the most-visited museum in the world, are frustrated by overcrowding in the museum, and ongoing understaffing as a result of staff cuts.
The issue of too many tickets being sold in advance, plus walk-in sales on the day has been raging for years, with requests to introduce a cap on the number of tickets available daily.
The doors finally opened at 14.40PM but not before thousands of tourists with pre-booked tickets had left without getting inside the Worlds most visited museum.
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