Group ‘to sell the Philippines to Filipinos’
This year’s travel expo will invite local and foreign tourists to explore the country’s 7,107 islands.
Cebu Tour and Travel Association (CTTA) and Cebu Alliance of Tour Operations Specialists (CATOS) have joined efforts to organize Travel Catalogue 2017, which will offer tourists a good mix of value-for-money travel packages for both international and domestic destinations.
This year’s edition, though, will emphasize the exciting new destinations in the country to boost domestic tourism.
CATOS President Alice Queblatin said they have expanded the travel expo to include the domestic products and align themselves with the thrust of the new DOT administration, which is to push domestic tourism.
“We are selling the Philippines to Filipinos,” said Queblatin.
She added that the travel expo will be timely, following the country’s hosting of the Miss Universe pageant and the travel expo in Manila.
Surigao del Sur, Siargao, Bohol, Boracay, Vigan, Batanes, El Nido and Coron in Palawan, Baguio and Davao are some of the popular local destinations among Filipino travelers.
Travel Catalogue 2017 is a three-day travel fair slated on Feb. 17 to 19 at the Ayala Center Cebu. It will showcase at least 70 tourism sectors, including airlines, hotels, tour specialists, and cruise operators.
Regions 1, 2, 3, CAR, Mimaropa, and 7 will also participate in the travel expo. New fea- tures this year include the business-to-business matching and the participation of the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Trips to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan were some of the most popular international packages bought during last year’s expo.
For this year, the DOT is aiming to hit its 6.5-million foreign tourist arrivals target. It also hopes to record 73.3 million domestic travelers.