Around 300 exhibits showcasing the country’s destinations, travel services, local products and cultural experiences await visitors at the Philippines’ longest-running travel fair.
The 37th Philippine Travel Mart features exhibits from tour operators and travel agencies, hotels and resorts, local and regional government units, air, sea and land transportation providers, food and non-food retailers, event partners and sponsors and other tourism-related services.
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Each booth offers its own approach to promoting tourism in its respective area and industry.
For instance, the provinces of Quezon, Davao and Aklan offer live performances showcasing their traditions and culture.
Meanwhile, some booths, including those from the Zamboanga Peninsula and MIMAROPA, display local art and products.
Other exhibitors also offer deals and promotions to attendees.
Beyond the usual attractions, the travel fair also reflects the tourism industry’s efforts to offer more personal experiences that allow visitors to connect with Philippine heritage and culture.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the industry has been diversifying its tourism offerings in the country to strengthen Filipinos’ connection to their roots.
Immersing oneself in Philippine heritage and culture allows Filipinos to build their “sense of identity,” Mathay said during her speech on the opening day of the Philippine Travel Mart on Friday, September 4.
“For young Filipinos and Filipino families around the world, we want to offer journeys that help them reconnect with their heritage by meeting our people, tasting our food, learning our traditions, and experiencing the places that will help build their sense of identity,” Angara-Mathay said.
“We want them to come home not just with photographs, but with a deeper connection to who we are,” she added.
The tourism chief also emphasized that people nowadays are looking beyond the usual attractions.
“They want to taste local food, meet local people, learn traditions, and experience a destination in a more personal way,” she said.
She also pointed out that these experiences provide livelihoods for local people in these areas, including artisans, guides, transporters, and local interpreters.
To provide tourists with more personal travel experiences, the Department of Tourism launched the Philippine Experience Program in 2023, a project that aims to highlight Filipino heritage and culture through gastronomy, wellness, pilgrimage, arts and living cultures.
Angara-Mathay shared in her speech that Samar province, for instance, has the Secret Kitchens of Samar program, which allows visitors to discover local recipes and traditional cooking methods in the area.
The 37th Philippine Travel Mart, with this year’s theme, “Nurturing the NextGen Tourism,” will run from September 4 to 7 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
It is organized by the Philippine Tour Operators Association.
