Media OutReach
Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines celebrates milestones, thanks media and content creators at annual Pasasalamat event
2024 was a groundbreaking year of achievements for Philippine tourism promotions
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 January 2025 – The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines kicked off 2025 with its annual Pasasalamat event on January 27th at the historic Centro de Turismo Intramuros. Celebrating the vital role of media professionals and content creators, the evening reflected on TPB’s key achievements and milestones in tourism promotion.
TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles shared impressive stats: in 2024, the agency generated over PHP 11.3 billion in sales leads, a 44.8% increase from the year before. Global travel fairs like ITB Berlin and the World Travel Market in London contributed PHP 918 million in leads, while strategic partnerships with media outlets like GMA7, ABS-CBN, CNN, Bloomberg, and Euronews added PHP 1.44 billion in media values.
“Pasasalamat is our way of recognizing the invaluable contributions of our communication partners and stakeholders in helping us share the wonders of the Philippines,” said Nograles. “Through your dedication, we’ve reached new heights and inspired travelers to explore our country.”
Stars such as Timothy Granaderos from 13 Reasons Why, Nico Santos from Crazy Rich Asians, Broadway’s Aladdin star Josh de la Cruz, and Korean actor Kim Ji Soo were lauded for their significant contributions to elevating the Philippines’ global presence. Renowned music icons like LANY were also celebrated for fostering the vibe of a transformative and vibrant cultural hotspot.
Likewise, the TPB’s Community-Based Tourism Marketing Enhancement Program has effectively empowered local communities to highlight their unique cultural and natural assets. Through workshops and training sessions in Bicol and CALABARZON in late 2024, grassroots stakeholders developed strategies to attract travelers while safeguarding their heritage. This initiative has not only boosted visitor engagement in these destinations but also fostered sustainable economic opportunities, ensuring that tourism directly benefits the local communities.
At the tail end of her presentation, Nograles also shared that the TPB is in the final stretches of its preparations for World Expo Osaka, which opens on April 13. This global platform presents a unique opportunity to showcase the Philippines’ rich tourism offerings, attract sustainable investments, and drive economic growth.
As the country steps confidently into 2025, the TPB’s unwavering commitment to innovation, collaboration, and sustainable tourism continues to lay the foundation for a thriving industry, poised to inspire the world, invite travelers and investors alike to experience the many reasons to love the Philippines.
Hashtag: #LoveThePhilippines
https://www.tpb.gov.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/philippines.tpb
https://www.instagram.com/philippines.tpb/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About TPB Philippines
An attached agency of the Department of Tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines exists to market and promote the Philippines domestically and internationally in key markets including South Korea, Japan, the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, India, Germany, and Hong Kong as a world-class tourism and MICE destination, in strategic partnership with private and public stakeholders to deliver a unique high-value experience for visitors, significantly contributing to increased arrivals, receipts, and investments to the country.
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The 7th Cross-Strait Financial Forum and Taiwan-Funded Enterprise Development Forum
This year’s forum is an important supporting event of the 18th Cross-Strait Forum. During the event, nine Fujian-Taiwan financial integration projects were signed, with a total value of RMB 9.1 billion. The projects cover a wide range of financial services across areas including cross-strait industrial cooperation, water supply security for public welfare, capacity upgrades for long-established Taiwan-funded enterprises, technology and innovation industries, and modern agriculture. These initiatives continue to unlock the benefits of financial policies, promote shared access to financial resources for Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan-funded enterprises, and inject new momentum into industrial integration between Fujian and Taiwan.
At the forum, the Cross-Strait Wealth and Asset Management Cross-Sector Alliance was officially inaugurated. Supported by Jinyuan Group and jointly proposed by its affiliated financial institutions, the alliance was co-founded by Xiamen International Trust, Jinyuan Uni-President Securities, Yuanxin Yongfeng Fund, Fubon Bank (China), Junlong Life Insurance, and Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital, among others. Centered on serving the wealth management and asset management needs of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the alliance aims to build a one-stop service platform covering asset allocation for Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan-funded enterprises on the mainland, family trusts and wealth succession planning, pension finance, and healthcare protection solutions.
The forum also unveiled a series of innovative financial achievements related to Taiwan. The banking industry’s first group standard dedicated to Taiwan-related financial services on the mainland, the “Specification for Taiwan-Related Financial Services of Banking Financial Institutions,” was officially released. At the same time, the “Bailufen” Taiwan Compatriot Financial Service Platform was introduced, further enhancing financial services for Taiwan compatriots living in Fujian and supporting the development of Taiwan-funded enterprises.
Hashtag: #StraitsFinancialForum
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Media OutReach
Verdant Rock Receives BBB+ Long-Term Insurer Financial Strength Rating with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings
“The infrastructure and capital markets we are targeting have been systematically underserved over the past decade. Verdant Rock enters this space with an investment grade rating, a strong capital position, the regulatory standing, the technical capability, and the long-term commitment that issuers and their advisers have been unable to find elsewhere.”
— Tolga Uzuner, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Verdant Rock Limited
The Fitch Ratings report can be accessed here:
Fitch Rates Verdant Rock at ‘BBB+’; Outlook Stable
Verdant Rock’s Class 3B registration can be verified via the BMA’s register of regulated entities (search “Verdant Rock”): https://www.bma.bm/regulated-entities
Notes to editors: For the May 2026 licensing announcement, see https://bernews.com/2026/05/walkers-supports-verdant-rock-licensing/
This announcement is (i) for information only; (ii) not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security, insurance product, or financial guarantee; and (iii) not for distribution in any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results, and Verdant Rock undertakes no obligation to update them. A credit rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security and may be subject to revision, suspension or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency.
Hashtag: #VerdantRock
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
ABOUT VERDANT ROCK
Verdant Rock Limited is a Bermuda-based insurance company, regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, providing Basel III and Solvency II compliant financial guarantees in emerging markets, designed to qualify as eligible credit protection under Basel and major insurance solvency regimes, for the benefit of institutions globally.
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TVBS deploys AI translation for NVIDIA GTC Taipei keynote
Online viewers praised the translation quality, with comments including “The quality of this real-time translation is amazing,” “The translation is incredibly fast,” and “The live speech recognition quality is surprisingly good.” Some viewers assumed the subtitles came from NVIDIA’s official translation team.
The achievement demonstrates how Taiwan’s media industry is adapting to AI-driven transformation. TVBS is positioning itself as a leader in integrating proprietary AI development with real-world broadcast applications. The company completed optimization and deployment of the system in just nine days — a process that traditionally requires months of dedicated training, according to Andy Yang, manager of TVBS AI Future Technology Department.
Yang explained that the biggest challenge in real-time translation lies in balancing “content accuracy” with “reading fluency” under extremely tight time constraints. Huang’s speaking style is highly improvisational and frequently switches between English, Mandarin and Taiwanese, while audience applause and cheering often occur simultaneously.
Applying standard off-the-shelf translation software in such an environment would likely result in sentence segmentation errors and unclear semantic interpretation, Yang said. Rather than pursuing “zero-latency” translation at all costs, TVBS designed a subtitle presentation mechanism specifically tailored to the keynote format.
Prior to the event, the TVBS team conducted extensive cross-platform testing on multiple AI translation models, evaluating latency and error rates. By introducing a carefully calibrated broadcast delay, the system gained additional time to process semantic meaning and contextual alignment. This approach enabled smoother subtitles matching natural Chinese reading habits, Yang said.
The team also built a dedicated knowledge base for NVIDIA GTC Taipei, compiling AI industry terminology, product names and technical keywords in advance. This significantly improved translation quality and the accuracy of professional content delivery. TVBS’s real-time translation system can be customized based on different broadcasting scenarios, Yang noted.
Yang emphasized that the key to the rapid nine-day deployment was cross-department collaboration. Engineering teams handled hardware tuning and signal integration, while internal technical and content teams managed ongoing model training and refinement. TVBS established a collaborative workflow integrating both technology and editorial expertise.
Through continuous iteration and adjustment, the team incorporated Taiwanese linguistic nuances and natural Chinese phrasing into the system. This enhanced fluency and readability beyond what generic AI models alone could achieve, ultimately shaping what Yang called a distinct “TVBS AI style.” The approach reflects the company’s “3T” philosophy — Truth, Trust and Technology.
In his keynote at the Taipei Music Center, Huang focused on AI infrastructure, next-generation computing platforms and NVIDIA’s latest technological roadmap. GTC Taipei 2026 attracted significant international attention as AI continues to reshape global industries. Through its own transformation journey, TVBS hopes to help lead Taiwan’s media industry into a new era shaped by AI.
Hashtag: #TVBS
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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