Travel Madness
At least 24 foreign airlines are joining theme parks and national tourism organizations of various countries in the Philippines’ international travel trade show “Travel Madness Expo 2015.”
Their participation is expected to make Travel Madness turn into an international travel craze as thousands upon thousands of the traveling public stand to gain huge discounts from promo prices and other incentives to be offered at the expo from July 3 to 5 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex.
Raymond Tee, president of Travel Innovators, the expo organizers, said: “The enormous fare discounts offered at Travel Madness since 2012 have helped trigger a travel mania among the youth and young professionals after discovering tourism to be surprisingly affordable.
“Yet, the only goal of Travel Innovators in organizing Travel Madness was to help the industry generate business even during the lean season and make tourism a yearround activity, but we’ve achieved more than that. Travel Madness has become both an industry and a consumer event, gathering all sectors under one roof and providing a one-stop shop for all travel requirements, with a vast array of choices and options every inch of the way,” Tee explained in referring to the big number of participants from airlines, travel wholesalers, tour operators, destination management companies, cruise ships, global service providers, hotels and resorts, theme parks, foreign and local support services, among others, all attracting unprecedented volumes of visitors year after year.
The participating airlines alone have totaled to 29, with 24 foreign and five from the Philippines. These are Air China, Air Juan Aviation, Air Mauritius, AirAsia Zest, All Nip- pon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, DragonAir, Cebu Pacific Air, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Delta Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Eva Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, Jeju Air, Jetstar Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, SkyJet Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and United Airlines.
There are also national tourism offices such as Tourism Hokkaido, Tourism Malaysia, Taiwan Leisure Farms, Thailand Tourism Authority, Sabah Tourism Board, Singapore Tourism Board, Guam Visitors Bureau, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Indonesia Galore, Japan Pavilion, Korea Tourism Organization, and the Philippine Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.
The theme parks include Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Adventure, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Sentosa, and Resorts World at Sentosa.
All the participants, both local and foreign, are expected to show their mightiest best during the exhibits that will occupy all the four exhibit halls of the SMX.
“Indeed, Travel Madness has gone bigger and bigger over a span of just four years to benefit both the industry and the national and global economy,” said Travel Innovators vice president Maria Paz Alberto, attributing the phenomenon to the exhibitors’ worry-free tourism deals at unbelievable prices.
Travel Madness also includes exciting cultural and product presentations and game shows, with top-of-the-hour raffle draws for prizes and freebies for the visitors.
The expo is supported by Philippine Airlines, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Sky Cable TLC, Tourism Promotions Board, and Duty Free Philippines as major sponsors.