Travel expo promises best deals, packages for 2018

The 25th Travel Tour Expo (TTE) 2018, which will open on Friday, February 9, at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, promises the public of the best travel deals and packages for the entire year.

Considered as the country's biggest annual travel and tourism event, this year's event is made even more significant as the TTE celebrates its 25th anniversary.

“This year is the biggest edition of Travel Tour Expo, yet. We have set new records for the expo,” Philippine Travel Agencies Association president Marlene Dado Jante said.

Visitors to the expo will be seeing the lowest of lows in terms of pricing for all the travel deals and packages that will be offered, said Jante.

This year, the expo will occupy the entire SMX Convention Center with floor area of 16,230 square meters, feature close to 400 exhibitors, have 995 booths, and foot traffic projected to reach 140,000.

The TTE will also feature 28 airlines, 133 hotels and resorts, 94 travel agencies, five cruise lines, and seven theme parks from across the world. There will also be 15 national tourism organizations (NTO) participating in the expo.

“This is the biggest gathering of travel and tourism stakeholders from around the world that is being staged here in the Philippines. For three days, Filipinos get the chance to realize all their travel plans for an entire year at the expo,” Jante said.

Jante said Travel Tour Expo 2018 will have everything the public would need for their travels this year from leisure travel to business travel all the way to those for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.

Aside from the exhibitors, Jante said the TTE will also feature nonstop stage activities including cultural performances from the NTOs, celebrity performances, presentation from exhibitors and sponsors, and hourly raffles and games.

“There will be so much happening over the three-day run of the expo,” Jante quipped.

TTE 2018 is supported by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board along with major sponsors Citibank as the official bank partner, Philippine Airlines and Mabuhay Miles as official airline and rewards program partner, Philippine Star and BusinessWorld as official broadsheet partners, and TLC and Sky Cable as official cable TV partner.

TTE will open its doors to the public at 9:30 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. General admission fee is R70 while senior citizen rate is at R50.