108 big foreign travel agents arriving for RP tourism deals
MANILA, Philippines - Delegates from 108 wholesale travel agents from six continents are coming over to forge deals with the various sectors of the local tourism industry.
“They (foreign travel wholesalers) are joining this year’s 10th Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex 2010), which is geared toward bringing in a big volume of tourists from around the world,” said Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim.
“Among the foreign delegates to Phitex 2010 are large representations from outbound travel wholesalers in China, Korea, Japan, the Asia-Pacific, North America, India, the Middle East, and Europe. They will do business with 194 local sellers (of tour packages), thus generating volumes of foreign visitors over the short and long term,” Lim said.
Slated at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel on Tuesday (Sept. 2), Phitex 2010 is an industry-based and government-supported marketing initiative that links foreign wholesale buyers and local sellers of tourism products and services in a full day of one-on-one business meetings, with each delegate being accorded a number of pre-scheduled appointments for table-top discussions.
“Thus, the foreign wholesalers themselves will push the Philippine tourism brand in their respective countries through OTC (over-the-counter) or POS (point-of-sale) promotion and other agency-driven consumer marketing schemes,” said Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Vicente Romano III.
“At the same time, their participation in Phitex 2010 will guide the members of the local tourism industry in conducting product development based on market-specific demands, or the actual requirements of their target foreign clients,” Romano said.
“In the process, the local industry players would also learn about the present and future global market opportunities that they could take advantage of. All in all, Phitex 2010 will boost and guide our efforts in focusing on infrastructure and product development since this event covers both ends (supply and demand) of the market spectrum,” Romano added.
Comprising the local sellers are airlines, hotels and resorts, tours and travel agencies, convention facilities, incentive and congress organizers, transport firms, and tourism destinations.
With the theme “Awesome Philippines, Awesome Sceneries, Awesome Activities, Awesome Experiences,” Phitex 2010 will be formally opened by Lim, who is expected to speak on the strategic direction of the country’s tourism development during his term.
To highlight the welcome dinner for the participants is the celebration of “A Decade of Awesome Phitex Experience” jointly hosted by the Department of Tourism and Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila.
Part of this Awesome Phitex Experience is the foreign buyers’ visit to the Manila Ocean Park, the country’s first state-of-the-art oceanarium.
The following day, the foreign buyers will have a glimpse of the country’s Awesome Sceneries through the Philippine Travel Mart, which will be held at the SM Megamall.
The buyers then get the chance to sample these local destinations with the familiarization programs organized by the DOT in cooperation with the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa).
They will visit Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, Bicol, Palawan, Clark, Subic and the Ilocos region to see and experience the Awesome Philippines, according to Romano.
These Awesome Experiences are made possible by Philtoa, Philippine Airlines, Manila Hotel, Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila, and the participating hotels and resorts.
“Through Awesome Activities of this nature, we can reinvigorate and intensify global market interest in Philippine tourism and elicit sustained industry support,” Romano said.
