MANILA, 8 May 2024: The Philippines returns to the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this week at the Dubai World Trade Centre, presenting the country’s attractions at a larger pavilion than in previous years and fielding a team of 16 travel content providers from the Philippines.
The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines secured a larger booth space at 90 sqm and invited 16 seller companies to showcase tourism offerings to capture the attention of tour companies serving the Middle East outbound travel market.
“There’s been a remarkable surge in outbound tourism from the Middle East, particularly from GCC countries. Based on the data, we see a growing appetite for international travel among GCC citizens, especially after the pandemic, and we see this trend continuing to rise in the coming years. This is one of the major reasons why we are doubling down on our efforts to maintain and enhance our presence in the Middle East. With our continued participation at the ATM, we aim to position the Philippines as a top-of-mind destination in Asia,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles.
Leading the delegation to ATM this week is Department of Tourism Secretary Maria Christina Garcia Frasco, with Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakr, Assistant Secretaries Verna Buensuceso and Rica Bueno, TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, and select members from the House of Representatives.
This year, the Philippine booth features 16 private sector co-exhibitors from hotels, tour operators, and DMCs such as Annset Holidays, Inc, Ark Travel Express, Biyaheko.ph, Boracay Adventures Travel N Tours, CTph Tours, Rajah Travel Corporation, VIA Philippines Travel Corporation, Atmosphere Resorts and Spa, Bellevue Hotel, El Nido Resorts, The Farm at San Benito, Lalaguna Villas Luxury Dive Resort and Spa, Lihim Resorts, El Nido by Araw Hospitality Group, The Manila Hotel, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, and Okada Manila.
In 2023, ATM broke its records in terms of attendance, reaching more than 40,000 visitors across the four-day event. It also drew 2,109 exhibiting companies from 156 countries, generating over USD3 billion in sales.
