MANILA, 11 February 2022: The Philippine Tour Operators Association has confirmed the 33rd edition of the Philippine Travel Mart will be hosted from 26 September to 2 October 2022.
The 2021 edition was hosted for three days in late November 2021 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The PHILTOA president Fe Abling-Yu told the Philippines News Agency the annual travel show should surpass last year’s 200 exhibitors.
The announcement on this year’s show dates coincided with the country’s reopening of borders on 10 February.
“By September, I’m hoping we will be back to normal. You see, this is a one-stop-shop where we invite all regional offices,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the PHILTOA general meeting in Makati City.
The show is renowned for its holiday bargains presented by tourism offices around the region and supported by hotel and airline discounts.
This year, PHILTOA hopes to bring in national tourism organisations from the Philippines’ top source markets like Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. The move will encourage two-way tourism flows between Asian nations.
“If we can bring in Korea, Japan, and other countries, that will bring in a bigger audience,” Abling-Yu said.
As of yesterday, 10 February, the Philippines opened the door to international tourists from 157 visa-free countries as long as they are fully vaccinated. The conditions of entry are some of the easiest of all Southeast Asian nations.
They are allowed to stay for up to 30-days and are no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine but must self-monitor for Covid-19 symptoms during the first seven days. However, they are required to report to the hotel which would, in turn, inform the local health authorities should they manifest any Covid-19 symptoms during their stay.
Fully vaccinated foreign visitors eligible for the visa-free stat do not require any booking at an accredited hotel, but they must show evidence of travel insurance covering Covid-19 valued at USD35,000.
For more information, visit https://visitor.tourism.gov.ph/
Domestic tourism continues to be a priority in the country to ensure destinations can recover. The Department of Tourism is developing domestic tourism circuits and has allocated about PHP91 million for product development efforts.
Promotions will present the country’s diversity and the variety of themed holiday options such as dive tourism, food and gastronomy, nature-based travel, wellness, pilgrimage, and culture tourism.
(Source: Philippine News Agency)
