Ark Travel Express: Steering the Philippines to a World of Journeys

Ark Travel Express, one of the Philippines’ most recognisable names in tourism. The company has weathered the tempests of global crises and emerged as a stalwart of the country’s outbound and inbound travel trade. Founded in 1984, the company has grown into one of the nation’s largest and most awarded agencies, guided for four decades by the steady hand of its president, Maria Paz R. Alberto. At this year’s PATA Travel Mart in Bangkok, David Barrett, host of the industry interview series Trends, sat down with Alberto for a conversation that was less about business bravado and more about resilience, reinvention and the enduring Filipino appetite for travel.

Alberto is a seasoned executive, with credentials in leadership and marketing as solid as her longevity in travel. Yet she disarms with humour. When Barrett asked her about Ark Travel’s beginnings, she quipped: “Arc Travel is a 41-year-old company. Don’t ask me what age I started it. I would always tell friends, oh, I started when I was 10 years old.” The levity conceals a career marked by reinvention. The company has evolved from traditional brick-and-mortar service into a hybrid operator, embracing digital platforms without relinquishing the personal touch that keeps its customer base loyal. “Before the pandemic, people would come to the office, pay their bills, and all that. Now, not anymore. You want to buy a ticket or package, you just go online and you pay through online. They don’t even have to see me,” she said. Yet, she was quick to add that the transition remains incomplete. “Has digital overtaken the traditional face-to-face booking? I would say not yet.”

Her scepticism of the online bargain hunt is pointed. “A lot of people would go online thinking that’s the best deal. In fact, I would tell my friends, how do you know that the ticket you bought online is cheaper? You didn’t ask me.” In her view, the knowledge of a seasoned agent still beats an algorithm, particularly in a world of flight disruptions, shifting schedules, and climate-related cancellations. “There’s nothing like having the personal touch of a travel agency advising you,” she noted, emphasising the reassurance of a human voice when stranded abroad.

The company’s outbound market is largely Filipino, with trends shaped by both geopolitics and preference. Caution now drives many clients to stay closer to home. “For 2025, one thing I noticed, Filipinos are now more into regional destinations. Maybe because they’re scared something might happen, just another war. At least if you stay closer to home, then it’s much easier.” Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore top the regional list, but Europe remains a draw for corporate travellers. Filipinos, she added with a smile, look for “a cooler place, good food, very scenic spots and culinary experiences,” reflecting a desire to escape tropical heat and embrace cultural discovery. And, true to stereotype, shopping remains non-negotiable. “If you don’t bring them to an outlet or shopping, they will say, no matter how good my tour is, oh, I didn’t have fun because there was no shopping.”

Yet Ark Travel Express is not only about sending Filipinos abroad. Alberto is also a vocal promoter of inbound tourism. With 7,641 islands to draw from, the Philippines’ domestic offering is as vast as it is varied. She recommended the classic must visits of Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, but was equally eager to highlight cultural and culinary heritage, and the government’s push under Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco to direct visitors beyond the familiar beaches to second-tier cities. “It’s not just the beaches. It’s history. It’s cultural. It’s gastronomical experiences that foreigners can look forward to,” she said. Sustainability is part of this agenda, with efforts to “visit the second-tier cities because we have a very rich culture, not just in the major cities but also in the rural areas where you see authentic experiences.”

Alberto’s reflections carry the weight of lived experience. She has steered the company through the Kuwaiti war, the aftermath of 9/11 and the pandemic. Each shock forced adaptation, whether pivoting to new markets or accelerating digitalisation. Her discipline in finance and her personal connections with clients and suppliers allowed the firm to survive when others faltered. That she continues to lead Ark Travel after 41 years speaks to a stamina rarely found in a sector so vulnerable to global turbulence.

Beyond her commercial success, Alberto represents a wider narrative: the role of women in leadership in Asia’s tourism industry. She is both a mentor and a symbol, encouraging aspiring female entrepreneurs to take risks in a sector that remains male-dominated in senior roles. Her tenure as head of the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association and her chairmanship of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) have given her a regional and global platform to shape policy and standards. At PTM2025, her comments on sustainability and the importance of regional growth aligned with the wider strategic agenda of diversifying markets and spreading the benefits of tourism more equitably.

As the conversation on camera drew to a close, she left the audience with a philosophy that explains her company’s endurance: “Travelling is no longer a luxury. It’s a way of life. Living is so stressful, especially after the pandemic. You appreciate what you have, you live through the pandemic, and you’re alive. So you want to be with family. You want to be with friends. And travel is something you will always have to look forward to.” It is a credo that resonates in a world still unsettled, where mobility has become both aspiration and therapy.

Ark Travel Express, with its four decades of service, industry recognition and relentless adaptability, remains one of the Philippines’ most trusted travel companies. Under Maria Paz R Alberto’s stewardship, it has become more than a ticketing desk; it is a partner in resilience, reassurance and rediscovery. If the next forty years prove as volatile as the past, her leadership suggests the company will still be there, steering Filipinos and foreign visitors alike through the shifting currents of global travel.

Special thanks to PATA for facilitating this interview at PTM 2025.