THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is expecting the surge of travelers in known tourist destinations on the coming holidays.

Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano said: "A lot of people plan ahead for this coming All Souls' and All Saints' days."

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He added that most hotels, lounges, and resorts are already fully booked and it will be difficult to arrange bookings on last minute.

According to the tourism chief, the DOT arranged a sale on tour packages during the Philippine Travel Market event last September, which gave buyers as much as 70 percent discounts on tour packages.

"All tour packages went on sale during the biggest travel market in the country. All destinations, all travel related businesses offered packages are all the way up to December."

The tourism department expects a high visitors rate in common tourist destinations like Cebu, Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Baguio.

"Baguio has always been a favorite destination for those going on a short day vacation during this three-day weekend. The important thing is that our tourism facilities in Baguio were not damaged," Durano said.

He also said that with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ongoing works with the main roads leading to Baguio, the use of the alternative routes will not hinder the stability and normalcy of tourism traffic going to the City of Pines. (Glaiza Jarloc/Sunnex)