Travel mart seen to bring in P233M for Philippines

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing at least P233 million in revenues from hosting the travel mart of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) next year and is now poised for an attendance promotion campaign in India to gain the biggest possible participation of its members worldwide.

This was revealed by Tourism Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions Daniel G. Corpuz as DOT marketing arm Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) reached the final stages of its preparations for the attendance promotion and marketing campaign at this year’s PATA Travel Mart (PTM) slated at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on Sept. 6-9.

Corpuz cited a 72-sqm DOT-TPB booth at the venue to showcase the best of the Philippines and its capacity to host the PTM 2012 or any event of its magnitude.

The DOT-TPB campaign at the PTM 2011 includes a networking lunch with top Indian buyers and meeting with the PATA Group on Sept. 8, and a Philippine-hosted dinner reception with entertainment at the convention hall of The Ashok Hotel on Sept. 9 to practically cap this four-day event.

“The Philippine Night will enable us to invite the participants in the PTM 2011 to come to Manila for the PTM 2012,” Corpuz said.

The Philippine delegation will also present to the PATA Board the plan of activities for the country’s hosting of the PTM 2012, which is expected to yield $5.2 million or P233 million in tourism receipts from its estimated 1,500 foreign delegates spending a daily average of $691 each for five days at an exchange rate of P45 to a dollar.

“That amount does not include the actual business to be generated during the PTM by the participating Philippine travel and tourism entities such as hotels, tour operators, airlines and various other service providers and venues for MICE (meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions/events),” Corpuz added.

The country’s hosting of PTM 2012 also guarantees a yearlong worldwide publicity for the Philippines through PATA’s traditional and online media channels and the international press that will cover the event.

“This event will generate prestige and international goodwill for the Philippines while drawing global attention to our much-improved facilities and increased capacity,” Corpuz said in referring to the at least 4,681 new luxury hotel rooms and many other high-end amenities constituting some $5-billion worth of fresh investments from foreign and local businesses.

These investments include the 3,539 rooms to open this year and 1,142 next year from the 57 new accommodation facilities that shall have commenced operations even before the staging of the PTM 2012.

The PTM 2012 will be held at the SMX Convention Center, the Philippines’ largest private venue and one of the flagship establishments of the country’s MICE industry.

The Philippines won the bid to host the PTM 2012 over other strong contenders in the running. Manila hosted the very first PTM in 1978, where over 300 delegates assembled to experience Asia Pacific’s first industry event.

Since then, the Philippines has hosted other huge and prestigious PATA events such as its 29th Annual Conference and Workshop in 1980, Midyear Board of Directors Meeting in 1987 and Annual in 1989, 1995 and 2002, Adventure Travel and Eco-Tourism Conference and Mart in 1993, and 47th Annual Conference and World Chapters Congress in 1998.

Founded in 1951, the PATA is the recognized authority on Pacific Asia travel and tourism, providing leadership and advocacy to the collective efforts of nearly 100 government, state and city tourism bodies, more than 55 airlines and cruise lines, and hundreds of travel industry companies.

Worldwide, PATA has over 2,000 individual members from over 41 countries, with the Philippines as one of its founders.