Frasco: PH can compete with top ASEAN tourist spots

WITH 50 to 70 percent discounts on domestic and international tour and accommodation packages that will be offered during the three-day Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) beginning September 30, now is the best time for ‘revenge travel.’

The Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), Inc. on Wednesday announced the return of the PTM, the country’s longest-running travel exhibitions.

Now on its 33rd year, the travel expo will be held at the SMX Convention Cente, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City and will be participated in by more than 200 exhibitors.

“It is with great joy and excitement that we invite everyone to the biggest Philippine Travel Mart to date. We’ve been waiting for a long time and now is the perfect time to travel again, support local businesses, and explore the Philippines and beyond,” said PHILTOA President Fe Abling-Yu.

Budget travelers are sure to find great deals during the expo that will last until October 2.

“There are so many reasons to explore the Philippines and our ASEAN neighbors. We hope visitors will find amazing deals at PTM, as well as gain more knowledge about our own country. We have interactive booths highlighting Philippine regions and the biggest among them will be the Mindanao exhibition,” the PHILTOA president said.

Local tourism is at the forefront of the expo with a zone designated for different offers: yellow zone for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and entertainment; blue zone for beach, cruise and marine sports; green zone for cultural and agro/farm/eco-tourism; and pink zone for health, wellness and culinary.

Each zone is bursting with information and offers from duly accredited tour and travel agencies, hotels and resorts, theme parks, airlines, as well as provincial and regional agencies.

Also included in this year’s PTM are ASEAN tour packages in Bali, Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh as well as Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea for travelers of all ages and budget levels.

Taking the expo to more high-tech and convenient heights, visitors can scan the QR codes of exhibitors to find their locations as well as conduct paperless transactions.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, who was the guest speaker at the launch, said the Philippines could compete with Southeast Asian neighbors and leading tourist destinations in the region.

“If you put our country side by side with our main competitors in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, our offerings are almost the same if not better. In that, we have beaches, natural resources, beautiful people, beautiful products, various destinations,” she said.

She reiterated the DOT’s commitment to implement programs that will help improve the overall tourist experience in the country.

With the PTM’s 2022 theme “Safe Travels,” Frasco assured travelers that she personally instructed concerned offices to ensure that tourist sites in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are “safe and well-equipped to receive guests”.

“We will also provide a convenient and better tourism experience for both foreign and domestic travelers through standardized travel protocols,” she said.

“We have reached out to the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), the Bureau of Immigration, and the Bureau of Quarantine to ensure that our entry protocols are reasonable, are consistent throughout the country, and will encourage, not dissuade, tourists from coming to the Philippines and going from place to place across our country,” she added.