 |
| The session hall of buyers and sellers for PHILTEX 2016. |
The most important Travel event in the Philippines create
more noise this year, as they gear up with the theme Bigger Business for the
Philippine Travel Exchange 2016 or PHITEX last Sept 5 and 6, at the Marriott
Hotel in Pasay City.
Headed by the Tourism Promotion Board (TPB), this year’s
gathering is a breakthrough in many forms like the days of the event from one
day to almost two day sessions, this is to give way for many business to come
close in reality of achieving its target market. PHITEX in the past usually
have 48 sessions, but with its expansion they now have 40 sessions for buyers
that usually are travel agents from abroad, and its sellers that come from
different Tourism establishment in the country.
PHITEX 2016 have a total of 201 buyers coming from 35 different
countries out of 132 companies mostly are Tour Operators, with majority from
China, South Korea and Japan. New buyers this year are from Morocco, Hungary, and
South Africa. Sellers are total with 198 ranging from different Hotels,
Resorts, and other Tourist related companies.
 |
| TPB OIC for Domestic Promotion Department Susana Del Mundo and TPB Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Marketing and Promotions Maricon Ebron. |
The said event started in 1989, it is also held before in
Cebu with educational seminars that aims to update Tourism Industry players
with current trends in the market. The number of this year’s participants
signify that social media still not affecting this kind of transacting
business, wherein anybody now a days can always go to the internet and message
those who you want to deal with.
“We are very active in
social media, we fairly covered whatever engines, but you cannot eliminate the
face to face transactions that still the No. 1 thing, people still want to
discuss face to face, maybe because it’s one way to check the sincerity of the
buyers to the sellers, their relationships are being perfected on one on one
appointment scheduling.” Explain by Maricon Ebron, TPB Deputy Chief
Operating Officer for Marketing and Promotions.
Aside from closing deals, PHITEX also comes with tours right
after the event, among featured tours are Southern Luzon that covered Tagaytay,
Batangas, second tours are in Bicol Region covering Legazpi, Sorsogon and
Misibis Bay. Third option is the Ilocos Region particularly Laoag and Vigan.
Next is Cebu-Bohol, and Davao.
According to Susana Del Mundo, Officer In Charge for
Domestic Promotion Department of TPB, Cebu-Bohol is the top most buy
destinations in PHITEX in the past, probably the two Province has all the
facilities that was needed, next in line is Palawan, it’s still the best and
really request by buyers. Ilocos regions comes in third place for Cultural
heritage tours, and then Bicol and Southern Luzon.
Del Mundo clarify that Boracay is still on the top of this
all chosen destination, they are not pushing it since it is the most requested
and it is given already.
 |
| DOT Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo. |
The first day of PHITEX is close via formal dinner with
Department of Tourism Sec. Wanda Corazon Teo as guest speaker. Filipino foods,
snacks and worldclass local acts like Baihana, Ballerinas Candice and Carissa
Adea perform to entertain the participants, with a theme of Merry Christmas, as
everybody knows Pinoys celebrate Christmas longer starting at the day one of
September.
Comments