Expect record-breaking events at TTE 2018
For 25 years, PTAA’s Travel Tour Expo (TTE) has been a one-stop shop for Filipinos’ travel and leisure needs. More than featuring the biggest airlines, hotels and resorts, theme parks and cruise lines worldwide, the annual event partners with all tourism stakeholders in the country, as well as embassies and national tourism organizations.
This year, TTE is exceeding its commitment to the industry stakeholders. “We have added a fourth day to the expo so that we can move the formal opening to an earlier date. This will give all the exhibitors participating the chance to meet with members of the PTAA, our partners in the expo, government officials, and the diplomatic community,” the event’s chairperson Marlene Jante said during the TTE launch last month.
For the first time in TTE’s history, PTAA led the soft opening at Conrad Hotel yesterday, which featured a 45-minute cultural show and was attended by all PTAA members and major sponsors.
Today, a total of 995 booths — the highest in the history of the expo — will occupy SMX Convention Center’s Halls 1 to 4 on the ground floor and Function Rooms 1 to 5 on the second floor. Gates opens to the public at 9:30 a.m. today (8:30 – 9:30 a.m. is exclusive to Citibank cardholders), and at 9 a.m. tomorrow until Sunday, February 11.
Close to 400 exhibitors, 94 of which are travel agencies — both record-breakers in TTE’s history — expect to welcome at least 140,000 visitors, including travel and tourism trade practitioners, corporate and business travelers, holiday travelers, incentive and convention planners, government and business leaders, direct buyers, and investors. Entrance fee is P70 for general admission and P50 for senior citizens.
Aside from the booths, celebrity live performances, exhibitor presentations and raffle will highlight the stage activities, as well as special awards to top producers and best booths.
Coinciding with the 25th Travel Tour Expo is the third International Travel Trade Expo (iTTE) 2018, a B2B event that matches international sellers with members of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association. There will be record-high 80 sellers for this year’s iTTE coming from Cambodia, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Israel, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Major partners
Under Section 46 of Republic Act 9593 or more popularly known as the Tourism Act of 2009, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is mandated to assist the development of the country’s tourism and increase arrivals of tourists in the country through various marketing and promotion initiatives. Because TTE is one of the best ways to promote travel and tourism among Filipinos, TPB is once again proud to join this year’s expo.
And it’s even more fun to travel in the Philippines and abroad when one goes cashless. Thus, Citibank is once again involved in the expo, with its cardholders enjoying “early bird” benefits from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. today.
PAL has also been participating in TTE since its first edition in 1994, and for the first time, the national carrier will not be selling any of its destinations to the public but will be channeling them to participating travel agencies.
Mabuhay Miles, PAL’s frequent flyer program will again be taking part in the expo and will be providing free membership cards to the public.
With Mabuhay Miles, those who are using PAL
for their flights to North Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, North America, Middle East, and Europe will be earning flight miles which they can use on their future trips.
Flight miles can also be earned by using the Mabuhay Miles card with its wide range of partner companies for the program.
Another sponsor, PLDT, will be distributing a total of 100 mbps to select exhibitors while also providing standby technicians to ensure on-site internet connectivity during the expo’s three-day run.
Meanwhile, SkyCable Corp., one of TTE’s media partners, is airing TTE 2018 commercials on CNN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Fox Sports 1 and 2, Fox Channel, Fox Movies and AXN during primetime. At the expo, the company will have a stage time where visitors can join games and a lounge where they can win more prizes, freebies and treats.