‘Purpose tourism’ explained in action
Travel is synonymous to leisure, but a group of tour agents is showing it can also be an anchor for volunteerism
It took close to nine hours for a group of 15 people to reach the remote coastal town of Aglimasan in Paluan, Occidental Mindoro, where a community of Mangyan families was eagerly awaiting lunch. On the menu were egg sandwiches, which the visitors from the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) prepared early in the morning, along with fruit juice packs and
arroz caldo with hard-boiled eggs. After the quick meal, moms in the community participated in a soap-making session by Amie Demapindan, and were handed complete materials and brochures afterward. Seniors with sight problems got to consult and receive reading glasses from Mariegel Manotok.
In the middle of it all, some of the locals joined the ribbon-cutting program of the bahai pulungan, a shed within the elementary school that the PTAA funded. It was a long and tiring day made more taxing with the hot and humid weather along with the long sea travel, but everyone still went home in high spirits.
The day before, the PTAA distributed snacks to the students of the Katuray Minority School. After a quick merienda, the kids were taught by Bam Lopez how to properly brush their teeth using the toothbrushes and toothpastes they were given.
These made for a meaningful weekend for the board members of PTAA, who are putting their collective efforts and the foundation to good use.
Meaningful travel
Established in 1993, the organization, composed of over 350 travel agencies, was set up to have an avenue to offer discounted domestic and international travel deals along with other travel-related products and merchandise. It has since produced the country’s biggest and most awaited annual travel expo. The 31st installment was held at the SMX Convention Center last February and had 322 exhibitors, garnering foot traffic of over 100,000 visitors. For the first time, the group will hold a VisMin version at Limketkai Mall in Cagayan de Oro midyear.
But it’s not all sales and numbers for this group. As proven by their recent outreach program, there’s a lot of heart in it, too. From March 15 to March 17, the board kicked off the first of many initiatives in which members of the organization got to extend help to those in need, introducing what they call purpose tourism.
Travel is largely synonymous to leisure, adventure and cultural immersion. But the PTAA is likewise keen to acknowledge a kind of voyage that engages volunteerism, sympathy and generosity; one that allows the traveler to interact with the locals and send any form of help they can while visiting a place. It’s the kind of experience that not only gives meaning and value to travel, but also lends purpose to one’s being.