about us
The Islands Group
The Islands Story
The Islands Group traces its history back to the early beginnings of Islands Souvenirs in Cebu in 1992. Breaking the mold of cottage-industry souvenir products, Islands Souvenirs, carved out a niche for itself by providing quality souvenirs that were both practical and creatively designed. It was one of the very first retail companies who made use of design in a country rich in natural beauty through destination-specific merchandise.
Packaged in vibrant shopping environments, it transformed the way that souvenirs were sold completely. Today, Islands Souvenirs has captured a significant share of the souvenir market and has become the most awarded souvenir brand in the Philippines. Its retail operations have expanded to over a hundred stores in various high-traffic tourist locations in the Philippines.
The success of Islands Souvenirs has paved the way for the other subsidiaries of the Islands Group, giving birth to Islands Stay Hotels, Islands Banca Cruises, Islands Pasalubong, Inc., Islands Destinations Mall, Islands & More, Islands Design and Merchandising, and Islands Franchise Corp. It is the first integrated tourism travel
services brand in the country.
The Islands Way
The Islands Group is all about making travel in the Philippines an unforgettable experience. Plain and simple passion for service, understanding what the market needs, and a drive to deliver great value have shaped the Islands Group into the multi-awarded brand it is today.
The work of the Islands Group is that of demand support — sweeping through the travel business and finding the little nooks and crannies where the needs of travelers have often been overlooked.
Once Upon a Time
Founded in 1992, by Jay Aldeguer (President and Chairman), the Islands Group traces its history back to the early beginnings of Islands Souvenirs. By transforming cottage-industry souvenir products and giving it a fresh take, it revolutionized souvenir shopping and carved out a new niche for itself by providing premium quality souvenir items that are creatively designed and packaged in vibrant retail environments. Islands Souvenirs has expanded beyond expectations covering a wide network of over 80 outlets across the Philippines. The same winning formula was applied with the creation of Islands Banca Cruises, which elevated and professionalized the island hopping experience. It has been met with much demand, propelling the Group to keep adding new boats to its fleet. Now, the Islands Group is busy with its newly-launched chain of value hotels, Islands Stay.
Tourism Today
With tourism in the upswing, the Islands Group has recently experienced unprecedented growth, having launched several exciting new concepts over the past few years. Aside from the Islands Group’s strengths in understanding the market, this can also be attributed to the robust and ever-developing tourism industry in the Philippines. In the year 2010 alone, the Philippines had reached a new record for highest number of visitors. With the economy’s positive outlook, this number is only expected to grow.
Seeing Orange
We’re excited to grow as well. A passion for service, a culture for creating value & fun, and a keen eye for nurturing opportunities — these are the traits that the Islands brand promise is attached to and what give us our competitive advantage in the tourism industry. And we’ve got one vision to drive us. At the end of the day, we want you to know that you can count the Islands Group to show you the Philippines the Islands Way.
