The Philippines biggest annual travel and tourism event opens today
Today marks the beginning of a new journey. The biggest annual travel and tourism event in the country opens today.
Presented by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association ( PTAA), Travel Tour Expo 2017 (TTE) brings together over 300 travel industry players, including national tourism organizations (NTO), local government units and embassies. On its 24th year, the three-day event will cover 16,000 square meters of the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
TTE has built a reputation as the one-stop destination of the best-value-for-money deals and exciting travel packages. Through this annual expo, the world is made more accessible to Filipinos.
“We are continuously trying to outdo ourselves every year. Every March, right after the TTE closes, we begin our work for the following year. It is our conviction to provide Filipinos more travel opportunities at an affordable cost,” TTE chairperson and PTAA immediate past president Maria Michelle Reyes-Victoria said.
Over 100 hotels and resorts, 27 airlines, 83 travel agencies and tour operators and 17 national tourism organizations and embassies will participate this year.
They will also be joined by cruise and shipping lines, theme parks, government agencies, local tourist offices and organizations, global distribution service providers, educational institutions, insurance companies, and real estate companies. A number of merchandisers, food concessionaries, sponsors and other travelrelated entities will also be at the expo.
“Everything the public will need for their next travel, be it for leisure or business and even MICE, they will find it at the TTE. It is the one-stop shop for all the travels they are planning this year,” Victoria said.
She added that there will also be government agencies participating including the Department of Foreign Affairs which will accommodate appointments for passport applications, Department of Social Welfare and Development for travel clearances for children, and the Bureau of Immigration which will be ready to assist queries on immigration processes.
Throughout the day, TTE will also stage activities to entertain visitors. There will be performances by popular artists, games and presentations from exhibitors and sponsors. Every hour, a lucky visitor will be drawn in the raffle. A Toyota Wigo will be given away as the grand prize.
The world is your oyster
Every journey must begin somewhere. Before it was the biggest travel and tourism event in the country, TTE started out as humble and small. More than two decades ago, TTE occupied one of the halls of the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall, Pasig City.
Through the years, the expo grew its space and accommodated more exhibitors. From occupying 1,348 square meters at the Megatrade Hall, it expanded to 3,878 square meters. And by 2006, it slowly conquered the vast space of the SMX Convention Center.
Five years ago, the number of TTE exhibitors grew by 30 percent. By 2014, there was no stopping the growth of the expo. On that year, TTE occupied the whole ground floor and a portion of the second level of the SMX Convention Center, totaling a floor area of 11,030 square meters.
Two decades after, it now occupies an exhibit space 10 times larger than when it began 24 years ago. Last year, TTE also reached a new record high of over 100,000 visitors for the three-day event.
ITTE ON ITS SECOND YEAR
Last year, the International Travel Trade Expo (iTTE) was introduced. It is a business-to-business travel trade mart catering to the growing Philippine market for overseas travel and countries that are looking at the Philippines as an emerging tourism destination.
PTAA looks forward to continue expanding the network of its member by bringing top tourism executives from 21 countries for iTTE’s second year.
“Worldwide, we have seen how the tourism industry is evolving. There are now more tourism destinations to choose from. Travelers are going beyond the traditional tourist spots. We want our members to be abreast with these developments,” Victoria observed.
She added: “Last year, the PTAA provided a record number of trainings and seminars for our members. As the operations of travel agencies go beyond travel bookings, the association has been giving them new learnings — from the use of the latest technologies to know-how in working with government agencies and embassies.”
Among the countries that will be participating in this year’s iTTE are Australia, Cambodia, China, Egypt, France, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Vietnam.
DOT: “TTE BOOSTS PHILIPPINE TOURISM”
A constant partner of the expo, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said TTE boosts Philippine tourism.
Tourism Undersecretary for development planning Benito Bengzon Jr. said the TTE helped create opportunities for Philippine tourism to expand. The expo has also done its part to stimulate growth of travel suppliers as well as providing outbound options for Filipino travelers, which prompts the potential for Filipinos to market the Philippines abroad exponentially.
“Market forces are coming in. There is now a strong demand and we in the Department of Tourism see it as something good for the industry. With Filipinos going abroad, they become our tourism ambassadors,” Bengzon said.
Victoria explained that if the Department of Tourism’s January to November data is any indication, Philippine tourism is poised to make another substantial jump this year in terms of arrivals and receipts.
TTE will run today until Sunday, Feb. 12 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The three-day event will be open to the public with an admission fee of P60 for regular visitors and a discounted price of P40 for senior citizens.