DOT to boost tourism in Pampanga, Central Luzon
ANGELES CITY – The Department of Tourism Region III (DOT-3) is determined to boost the tourism industry in the country’s culinary capital including the seven provinces in Central Luzon.
Ronaldo Tiotuico, DOT-3 director, said they are conducting a series of familiarization tours and business-to-business sessions focused on creating a network among their stakeholders in various regions.
“We are doing this event (famtour) to develop inter-regional tourism exchange programs where stakeholders (travel agents and hotel owners) from our region would have an opportunity to network with their counterpart from other regions,” said Tiotuico.
He said following the success of the tourism exchange in Cebu last February, the DOT-3 in cooperation with DOT-11 recently organized the Pampanga-Davao Tourism Exchange (PDTE) slated on July 28 to 30, 2017 at Park Inn Davao. AirAsia is sponsoring the project with the support of hotel owners in Davao.
PDTE is a business activity that seeks to link travel agencies, tour operators and hotel industry in Pampanga and Davao.
“That’s why included in the program is the business-to-business (B2B) where both parties would have a chance to exchange tour packages for marketing and promotion,” Tiotuico added.
This year, various airlines launched their flights from Clark to several domestic destinations including Cebu, Davao, Puerto Princesa, Busuanga among ot her s.
To sustain this milestone, the DOT-3 will be supporting the airline with its promotion and marketing of tourism products by tying up the tour operators, hotels and restaurants from both Pampanga and Davao, according Chriselle Yambao, DOT-3 supervising tourism officer.
“The challenge posed to us is how to persuade tourists from the South to visit Central Luzon,” Yambao added.
Yambao furthered that tour operators and representatives are advised to prepare local tour packages, including brochures and rate sheets.
According to Yambao, aside from choosing Clark as their gateway, their goal is for visitors to explore Pampanga and nearby provinces. However, her advice to the tour operators and hotels is to prioritize their promotions on the seven provinces of Central Luzon.
The regional tourism office also encouraged the Provincial Government of Pampanga, Angeles City and Clark Development Corporation to take advantage of the project and “be ready for this opportunity to showcase the developed tours of the province,” as stated in PDTE’s project brief.
Some local tour packages showcase the culinary, culture and heritage of Pampanga and aerial tour for Mt. Pinatubo.
Ten tour operators will be coming from Pampanga along with representatives from some hotels in Clark. On the other hand, at least 20 buyers (counterpart in Davao) are expected to be present during the PDTE.