Manila girds for major tourism conference

It’s all systems go for next week’s 31st Skal Asian Assembly, the most important international tourism gathering in the country since last year’s Sept. 11 US terror attacks.

The three-day event scheduled from May 24 to 26 at The Westin Philippine Plaza brings together captains of travel and tourism from across Asia-Pacific under the umbrella of Skal International, a global organization of top industry executives and professionals.

"Everything is set and we look forward to three days of productive discussions and warm camaraderie among the movers and shakers of tourism in Asia," said host Skal Manila chapter president Avelino L. Zapanta, who is also president and COO of Philippine Airlines.

These leaders’ presence in Manila is an excellent opportunity to showcase the country’s newfound gains in tourism and dispel fears that it is a high-risk destination, he added.

The event is backed by a high-powered list of corporate sponsors, led by European aerospace giant Airbus Industries as the main sponsor. Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Dollar Rent-a-Car, Pagcor and Duty Free Philippines, along with the Department of Tourism and its attached agencies Philippine Tourism Authority and Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp., are the co-sponsors.

Tourism Secretary Richard J. Gordon, a special guest of the conference, hailed Skal’s decision to hold its annual regional assembly in Manila.

"This is most important during these challenging times. Through this gathering, leaders of the Asian travel and tourism sector have the opportunity to meet and discuss on a first-hand basis the issues that impact on the industry," he said.

The Skal conference will be the first large-scale international tourism assembly in the country since Sept. 11, when terrorist strikes on US landmarks sent the industry into a prolonged slump from which it has yet to fully recover.

Members of Skal International, which counts over 100 chapters worldwide, are travel professionals who either own or are chief executives of travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, resorts, airlines and other industry players.

"Skal" is an acronym of four Scandinavian words: sundhet (health), karlek (love), alder (long life) and lycka (happiness).