MANILA, 18 August 2022: Following knock-down versions over the past two years, a full-blown Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) returns to Manila’s SMX Convention Centre from 30 September to 2 October 2022.
The organisers say more than 200 exhibitors are already booked for the 33rd PTM edition, recognised as one of the longest-running travel shows in Southeast Asia. This year’s edition will focus on supporting recovery and building travel confidence among consumers. The traditional bumper discounts on accommodation and airfare and bargain domestic and international tour packages will return, supporting the “travel safe” theme throughout the three-day show.
“We’ve been waiting for a long time, and now is the perfect time to travel again, support local businesses, and explore the Philippines and beyond,” Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) president Fe Abling-Yu told the Philippines News Agency.
Abling-Yu is confident the mart will match the annual shows organised before Covid-19 shut down travel in early 2020. He noted the mart did survive the lockdowns, but the two shows in 2020 and 2021 had a limited capacity of just 50 booths to meet national health and Covid-19 regulations.
Pre-pandemic, the mart attracted more than 200 exhibitors and getting closer to that with booth bookings for the return of the full-fledged mart, he reported.
The expo’s layout features designated zones for various tourism products such as sun and beach, marine sports, cruise; health, wellness, culinary; cultural, farm tourism; entertainment and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE).
Also included in this year’s PTM offers include tour packages in Bali, Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, on the sidelines of the PTM launch, said the Philippines could compete with Southeast Asian neighbours and leading tourist destinations in the region.
“If you put our country side by side with our main competitors in the ASEAN region, our offerings are almost the same if not better. In that, we have beaches, natural resources, beautiful people, beautiful products, various destinations,” she said.
To further position the country as a top tourist destination, she told stakeholders that the DOT would introduce programmes to improve the overall tourist experience in the country.
Aligned with the PTM’s 2022 theme “Safe Travels,” Frasco has instructed local government offices to ensure that tourist sites in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are “safe and well-equipped to receive guests”.
She was warmly welcomed by the over 400 members of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) at their 4th Membership Meeting held last week at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong.
In her keynote address, Secretary Frasco acknowledged the challenges faced by tour operators across the country due to the pandemic and shared the direction for tourism in the country under the leadership of the new administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“I understand that the last two years have been difficult for everyone, so I thank you for continuing to forge forward, despite these challenges. Truly, it is because of your determination for our tourism industry to survive, thrive, and recover that the prospects for the recovery of the tourism industry are quite optimistic,” she said.
The Tourism chief also highlighted the important role every tourism stakeholder should play in protecting tourist destinations and emphasised the importance of inclusivity to broaden the reach and shape tourism development in the country.
“My directive has been for the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) to reach out as far as possible to all our local government units and stakeholders. They may not necessarily have received equal attention for promotion and marketing. Still, it is crucial to equalise promotions and marketing opportunities to expand economic opportunities for everyone,” she told PHILTOA members.
Founded in 1986, PHILTOA is an organisation of tour operators and allied members such as travel agencies, hotels, resorts, transportation companies, handicraft stores, and other tourism-oriented establishments.
(Source: Philippines New Agency and PHILTOA)
