Foreign tourism sales hit record

MANILA, Philippines — Record-breaking sales for foreign tourism was achieved in this year’s Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) event, which officials believe is a sign that the country has recovered from the ill effects of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) logged a “record-breaking P172,602,851.00 business sales leads in just two days” during the 21st PHITEX at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

In the previous four years of PHITEX – including physical and virtual events from 2018 to 2021 – the country earned sales ranging between P43 million and P94.8 million, the DOT said.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said the “aggressive campaign to revive our tourism industry and rollout” resulted in the “turnout of buyers and sellers and the record-breaking numbers.”

This year’s event welcomed 116 buyers from 32 countries, 53 of them physically present and the other 63 participating online.

They successfully held business meetings and negotiations with the country’s tourism firms and the sales derived from these were both confirmed and pencil-booked, reported the DOT.

After the PHITEX, 80 percent of the foreign buyers present would also travel the so-called tour circuits in Cebu-Bohol, Negros Oriental-Siquijor, Ilocos, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Davao and Metro Manila.

“The impressive turnout of buyers and sellers and the record-breaking numbers encapsulate the positive outlook for our country and growing interest in our destinations,” said Frasco.

“As we embark on an aggressive campaign to revive our tourism industry and roll-out with never seen before projects that will facilitate an enhanced connectivity into and around the Philippines and provide a more convenient and seamless travel experience for guests, we anticipate more interest from local and international tourism stakeholders,” she added.

The secretary commended the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the DOT’s marketing unit, for organizing the PHITEX, which remains the country’s largest tourism trade event organized by the government.

In response, TPB chief operating officer Margarita Nograles said Frasco “has always emphasized the importance and opportunity in equitably promoting all our regions and not just our popular destinations.”