As February draws to a close, you know what comes next: March officially kicks off summer in the Philippines! Over the weekend, I just booked a trip to Iloilo for my parents and myself, and just before I wrote this, I checked fares for a planned trip abroad sometime this year (mahal pa; I will need to wait 54 days before our target date of departure for it to be at its cheapest, according to this article).

And just as we look forward to travel in and out of the country, so will the many foreign tourists and our loved ones abroad who will visit at this time to enjoy the sunniest season in our tropical country. If you know of anyone from abroad who will be visiting soon, you might want to tell them about this bit of good news: Globe will once again offer its Globe Traveler SIM to tourists and returning OFWs for FREE for affordable and worry-free connectivity during their stay in the country.

This is part of Globe Telecom’s renewed partnership with Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Department of Tourism that aims to promote the Philippines as one of Asia’s top tourist destinations via its Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016 campaign, which provides jetsetters, backpackers, and thrill-seekers a year-round calendar guide for all adventures, whether it be food trips, walking tours, or festivals. (For information on activities and events, visit itsmorefuninthephilippines.com.)

Globe is TPB’s first Philippine telco partner to offer affordable communication services to millions of foreign tourists and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) returning to the country with the Globe Traveler SIM, a local prepaid SIM that offers affordable local rates for mobile data, calls, and SMS services. To get a free Globe Traveler SIM, tourists and OFWs simply need to present their passport of OFW E-Card at the Globe booths in NAIA, Cebu, Davao, Kalibo, Iloilo, and Clark International Airports. They can also reserve on this website.

Data on Globe Traveler SIM usage from August to November 2015 revealed that 90% of the Traveler SIM users came to the Philippines for vacation, and the top 3 countries with the most number of visitors were from Korea, China, and Singapore. The same data also showcased that 97% of the Traveler SIM customer base used data, and 85% of them used it for local calls.

With the Globe Traveler SIM, users can receive calls and texts from abroad for free and cut costs on mobile data by subscribing to TravelSurf, which allows them to surf the Internet on mobile for an affordable rate of US$11 for seven days or US$23 for 30 days, giving them access to e-mails, social networking sites, apps, and travel blogs and reviews for a worry-free stay in the Philippines. Users can also call abroad for as low as US$0.40 per minute. Getting a local SIM is a more cost-efficient way to connect than using an international number, which charges international call, text, and browsing rates.

For more information on the FREE Globe Traveler SIM, visit globe.com.ph/traveler-sim.