Mad rush for tourism freebies at Int’l Travel Fest 2013
MANILA, Philippines - A “mad scramble†for tourism freebies and discounts looms at the forthcoming International Travel Festival (ITF) 2013 as airline tickets to famous foreign tourism destinations and free hotel accommodations will be given away to many lucky visitors.
The raffle prizes at the ITF include 10 gift certificates for overnight stay in choice Philippine hotels for two, 10 international flight seats, and free trips for two to Thailand, Malaysia and Bali, Indonesia, all with hotel accommodations for three days and two nights.
Big discounts will also be available at the ITF’s component events such the Travel Philippines Show, Teambuilding Destinations Sale, Extreme Adventures Sale, Travel and Tours Christmas Sale, Hotels & Resorts Asia Christmas Sale, and Airline Tickets Sale for Asia, Europe and USA.
For local tours, free online travel reference services will be offered by Choose Philippines of the ABS-CBN TV network in its exhibit booth.
The freebies and discounts are expected to bring in thousands of local and foreign visitors to the ITF, which will be held at the Mall of Asia’s SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Dec. 10 and 11, right at the peak of the travel season when tourists pour in droves to experience the country’s unique Christmas celebration.
The sale, involving also the destinations for teambuilding and extreme adventures, is seen to similarly attract hordes of corporate clients for their human resource development requirements and market engagement activities.
“Shoppers are likewise expected to join the massive influx of visitors looking for unique Christmas gifts that come in the form of packaged tours and travel souvenirs, thus turning the entire ITF into a fun-filled Yuletide festivity for families and friends,†says chief executive officer Mitch Ballesteros of festival organizer Exlink Events.
“With our family activities and raffle draws spicing up the festival, our guests will have two full days of fun and amazing travel deals,†Ballesteros adds.
Leading the global exhibitors in the ITF are executives of worldwide service provider Amadeus and members of the British, Turkish and European chambers of commerce and other Manila and foreign-based organizations.
Their big number will be matched by local industry players and government travel marketers from the various regional offices of the Department of Tourism nationwide and its attached agency, the Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority.
Among the hundreds of local exhibitors are tourism destinations across the country — from as far north as Cagayan Valley to as far south as General Santos City and as far west as the island province of Palawan.
“It will be a complete two-way tourism traffic, with both inbound and outbound tourism players doing brisk business from both ends of the supply chain and all the segments in between,†Ballesteros says.
“They (exhibitors) include airlines, international hotel and resort chains, travel agencies, tour operators, MICE (meetings, incentive travel, conventions and events) organizers, shopping malls and global retail brands,†Ballesteros adds.
Also expected to participate in the ITF are transfers and transport firms, cruise ships and domestic passenger vessels, telecommunication companies, destination owners and managers, banks and financial institutions, and the academe and various service providers, among many others.
For more information on the ITF, contact Exlink Events at 632 643-3887, 0920-9242532 or 0920-9814376, e-mail at info@exlinkevents.com or visit www.exlinkevents.com.
