Mastercard enters into strategic collab with DoT

MASTERCARD and the Department of Tourism (DoT) have entered into a strategic collaboration to boost the country’s appeal to both travelers through digitalization.

“MasterCard, a global leader in technology and payments, is driving inclusive economic growth through powerful data-driven efforts. In tourism, these insights help destinations understand travel behavior, optimize services, and unlock new opportunities, making our industry more connected, resilient, and inclusive,” Tourism Assistant Secretary Sharlene Zabala-Batin said in a speech on Wednesday.

Mastercard Southeast Asia Customer Solutions Center Senior Vice-President Aisha Islam said the DoT and Mastercard will share data to form tourism strategies.

Ms. Islam said the data will allow both parties to understand spending behavior and travel patterns across five potential segments.

“In fact, early on today, we were talking about how some new markets are going to be able to enter the Philippines visa-free, such as those like India, and how we can use these opportunities to attract more South Asian customers and tourists to this country,” she said.

“We need to ensure that we are very aware of new insights, new patterns, as well as new trends to make sure that together we can meet the evolving needs of travelers, not just those who are international but also those who are domestic.”

The DoT noted the partnership was in line with the National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028.

“Secondly, we will also support tourism’s goal when it comes to creating impactful, priceless destination marketing. We will do this by combining Mastercard’s global Priceless platform with our customized insights as well as secure digital payments, which will aim to showcase the grand best of what the Philippines offers while creating both seamless and safe travel experiences,” Ms. Islam said. — Aaron Michael C. Sy