By Gabriela Baron
The Department of Tourism (DOT) kicked off on Sunday, May 28, the country’s first hop-on, hop-off (HoHo) bus tours.
According to the Tourism department, the Philippines HoHo seeks to provide tourists, particularly group travelers and fully independent individual travelers, with convenience and flexibility on when and how they will tour a destination through a seamless and contactless transport and booking system.
In the tour’s pilot launch in Makati, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the DOT aims to bring the project to other key destinations around the country.
“Post-pandemic trends of travel have continued to evolve. People search for experiences that go beyond adventure, fun, and they search for meaning,” Frasco said.
“That is why the Hop-On Hop-Off tours gives opportunities for our tourists not only to be reminded of the spirit of modernity and innovation that Makati has always been known for, but also to get to know the soul of your city that lies in your hidden gems, in your museums, in the many stops that are covered by this tour that will allow our tourists–domestic and international alike–to get to know the people of Makati, to get to know your rich history, culture, and heritage,” the official added.
Upon the full implementation of the HoHo system in Makati, tourists can take the bus in designated stops in the city curated by the DOT-National Capital Region team.
These stops include the Washington Sycip Park, Ayala Malls Circuit, Museo ng Makati, and Poblacion.
The HoHo tour will cost around P1,000 per person.
The project, which takes inspiration from world-class HoHo buses in Abu Dhabi, Argentina, London, Madrid, New York, and Singapore, will feature a dedicated website with essential information and a reloadable EMV-capable card.
It will also have a mobile app for booking tours with cashless payments, GPS networked-bus arrival monitoring and video guides, as well as information on hotels, food, and tourism merchants.
In 2022, the DOT recorded 5.3 million overnight tourists in Metro Manila, with Makati ranking third out of 17 local government units with the highest number of overnight arrivals at 969,927, after Pasay and Parañaque which took the first and second spots, respectively.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the launch of the HoHo project in Manila next.
The HoHo program will become fully operational in June. –cf