PTAA sees P600-M revenue from expo

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) expects to generate as much as P600 million in revenues from the 21st Travel Tour Expo (TTE) 2014, a top PTAA official said.

PTAA president John Paul Cabalza said the projected sales this year wouldbe about double the sales of P300 million registered from the expo in 2013.

He said they have received overwhelming response from travelers all over the country and expects attendees to the expo to increase 15 percent from last year’s 76,000.

The PTAA executive said all 532 members of the group have participated, of which 350 are travel agents and tour operators while the rest are allied members. More than 500 booths were used by the exbihitors to showcase their products and services such as discounted international and domestic plan fares and tour packages.

Over 248 companies/entities consisting of airline firms, hotels, resorts, national tourism organizations, embassies, theme parks, souvenir shops, food/delicacies and media partners would participate in the three-day expo.

The country’s largest and most-anticipated travel show, with the theme “Love Life, Love Travel” started yesterday and will last until tomorrow at Halls 1 to 4  and Function Room 5 of the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

TTE organizers have agreed with the Tourism Promotions Board, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), to donate a substantial amount of the event’s proceeds to the Bangon Tours program. This amount will be in addition to the donations of individual PTAA members who have signed up with TPB.

Presidemt Aquino, the keynote speaker of the event, has urged the DOT and the PTAA members to explore other tourism destinations in the country.

In response to this directive, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said they have identified areas in the country that have not been explored but could be developed as potential new tourists destinations.

“We have seen and we are preparing these sites. We will announce the areas once we have completed our marketing plans for them,” he said.

“We are very honored to have the President grace this occasion as this is a first in the 21-year history of the TTE. This strengthens the role of tourism in achieving the President’s social contract with the people,” the tourism chief said.

Jimenez said the DOT continues to further boost the potential of the tourism industry as a major economic driver, especially now that the country is in the middle of rebuilding and moving forward from recent natural disasters.

“The TTE is one way of sustaining the industry’s growth and momentum through a stronger domestic tourism base, alongside efforts aimed at restoring international market confidence, he said.

Last year, the country generated $4.4 billion in revenues from tourism, 15 percent higher than the 2012 level.

The average daily expenditure of inbound tourists increased 8.7 percent to $101.12, while average length of stay of visitors, remained at 9.6 nights.

TPB chief operating officer Domingo Ramon Enerio III, on the other hand, encouraged more Filipinos to travel and explore Philippines’ best tourism sites.

“Domestic tourism is big. Special events like the annual TTE make it even bigger. When people go on holidays, short breaks, and day trips in their own country, they make tremendous socio-cultural, economic, and economic impact. When properly implemented, domestic tourism in the Philippines will help us achieve the goals and projected impact outlined in our National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), which is to have an environmentally and socially responsible tourism that delivers more widely distributed  income and employment for Filipinos, especially the locals in the tourist destination areas, he said.

The DOT also adjusted the domestic travelers target for 2016 to 56.1 million from the earlier projected 35.5 million as it intensifies efforts of promoting inclusive growth which is expected to directly and indirectly affect the tourism sector.