The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is set to boost tourism in the Philippines as it simultaneously mounts the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) and MICE Buyers Invitational (MICECONnect) 2019 on October 20 to 27 to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist destination for both leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibits/Events).
Phitex
Now in its 18th year, PHITEX is considered to be the biggest travel trade event in the country, with close to 200 sellers and 200 buyers participating. The main highlight of the event is the one and a half day business-to-business (B2B) session between foreign buyers and local sellers to encourage tourism-related discourse among the participants, and open doors for business opportunities.
Marie Venus Tan, TPB COO
“PHITEX is mounted annually as a support for stakeholders in the travel trade industry,” says TPB COO Marie Venus Tan.
“Instead of working as individual operators and sellers, we provide a platform for them to connect to hundreds of buyers from all over the world in one venue, which saves them precious time and money. The event also gives buyers a more comprehensive view of the different destinations and packages that they can sell to consumers, either as an individual or bundled tours.”
Participants also took part in the PHITEX educational seminar where industry leaders discussed new trends in tourism marketing as well as marketing strategies in mature and emerging markets while keeping the theme of “Philippine Tourism: Trailblazing Responsible Travel and Inclusive Growth,” in mind.
Giving their insights were Thomas Graham, Co-Founder of Make A Difference (MAD) Travel, Carlos Mori Rodriguez, the Chief Innovation Officer of EON The Stakeholder Relations Group, and Nelly Nuezca Dillera, CESO III, the Deputy Executive Director of the Philippine Trade Training Center – Global MSME Academy, who ended the seminar on how DTI is building capabilities for halal development and certification.”
MICECONnect 2019
Meanwhile, MICECONnect 2019, aims to accelerate the Philippine MICE industry by gathering MICE suppliers to showcase the country as a premium destination for international events and conferences.
Happening simultaneously with PHITEX, MICECONnect 2019 is the continuation of a two-year program as a comprehensive educational seminar for local MICE stakeholders to learn new and effective global trends, approaches, and methods. This year’s focus is conducting business networking opportunities to further develop the country’s MICE industry.
MICECONnect 2019 likewise features B2B sessions for Philippine and foreign MICE buyers, and include a hotel and MICE venue inspection. Moreover, MICECONnect delegates will be treated to post-event tours to highlight some of the country’s premier MICE destinations including Iloilo City, Bacolod, Davao, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Tagaytay, Manila, and Batangas.
More importantly, both PHITEX and MICECONnect 2019 enable TPB to support and raise awareness on sustainable community-based tourism. Apart from promoting what the Philippines can offer, TPB also advocates for the protection of natural assets and expanding the benefits of tourism to communities that are directly and indirectly affected by the industry, consequently helping DOT towards achieving its goals for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
To know more about PHITEX and MICECONnect 2019, visit the following websites:
To boost efforts in attracting Korean tourists to visit the Philippines, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, will be participating in two major travel fairs happening in South Korea —The Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) on 06 to 10 June 2019 and HanaTour International Travel Show on 07 to 09 June 2019.
KOTFA
KOTFA is the biggest international travel fair in Korea with the participation of both international and domestic tourism-related organizations. This year, KOTFA is expected to generate an attendance of approximately 500 companies and 70 countries. The Philippines reserved six (6) booth spaces to be shared with airlines, hotels and top Korean travel agents in Seoul.
HanaTour
Meanwhile, HanaTour is Korea’s largest tour wholesaler with 1,200 HanaTour exclusive sales offices selling 14,000 tourism products through its 7,000 partners across the globe. This year, the Philippines is the featured country, co-marketing and promoting with HanaTour from June to July 2019, with multiple online and offline activities. The Philippines will also have eight (8) booth spaces at the event to help retail agencies aggressively sell and promote Philippine tour products, and provide general information about the country to the public.
South Koreans make up a huge portion of tourists visiting the Philippines annually, sharing approximately 22.3% of 1,587,959 visitors in 2018. TPB aims to increase Korean visitor arrivals by 25.80% upon completion of all tourism development plans by 2022, which will highlight the natural wonders of the Philippines.
As the country strengthens its campaign “It’s more fun in the Philippines” Korean tourists will get to choose from many offerings such as its beautiful pristine beaches, expansive shopping centers, dozens of adventure-laden activities, and the renowned warm hospitality of the Filipinos.
MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions/Events) Conference, the largest gathering of local and international MICE industry experts and practitioners, was successfully mounted this year in Bacolod. Organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), MICECON 2018 featured educational talks from world-class experts.
TPB uses MICECON to strengthen the country’s reputation as the preferred MICE destination in Asia. The four-day conference was spearheaded by (center) TPB chief operating officer Marie Venus Tan and Bacolod City mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Others in photo are (L-R) Bacolod City councilor Em Ang, DOT regional director Helen Catalbas, Bacolod City administrator John Orola, DOT assistant secretary Robert Alabado III and DOT Policy Formulation and International Cooperation division chief Alex Macatuno.
Global industry experts of varying backgrounds and expertise are flying to the country for MICECON 2018, to be held in the ‘Sugar Bowl of the Philippines’, Bacolod City, on 27-29 November 2018, at the SMX Convention Center.
Organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the MICE Conference or MICECON is the biggest industry gathering of its kind and is a highly anticipated educational event for travel and tourism practitioners.
For MICECON 2018, the TPB has gathered an impressive roster of local and international speakers, namely:
Susan Sarfati, founding CEO of The Center for Association Leadership and Executive Vice President of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE);
Liz Jackson, vice president of Association Management Group and president of Associated Luxury Hotels;
Peng Ee, of the Global Commerce Business unit of TTG Asia Media; and
Jerry Sibal, founder of Jerry Sibal Design and a world-renowned event designer and florist.
Susan Sarfati
Susan Sarfati
Apart from being named one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry by Meeting News, Sarfati’s achievements include Non-profit Times Executive of the Year, the Spirit of Hospitality Award, as well as over 2 decades of experience in creating high-performance individuals, teams and organizations.
Liz Jackson
Jackson has been involved in the association community of Washington, DC for 30 years, taking on executive career roles and as a member of several professional association boards of directors. Some of the awards she has received include Meeting Professionals International Member of the Year, Greater Washington Society of Association Executives’ Board Member Award, and American Society of Association Executives Fellow selection for leadership
Peng Ee
Peng Ee
Peng Ee has extensive experience in exhibitions and events, and was recently appointed to transform the Global Business Unit of TTG Asia Media, organizer of the IT&CMA, the leading international MICE event centered in the Asia Pacific, as well as the TTG’s MICE show in China, which saw the largest Philippine contingent in its history.
Jerry Sibal
Jerry Sibal
For more than 25 years, Sibal has built a name for himself as a leading event designer and floral artist, creating magical settings for both private parties and corporate events.
Last May, he produced the first-ever Philippine Tourism Expo, in partnership with the DOT and TBP, a four-day event held at the Vanderbilt Hall, New York Grand Central Terminal.
MICE is a major contributor to the growth of Philippine tourism, and MICECON 2018 aims to establish the Philippines’ standing as the preferred destination for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions as outlined in the MICE Roadmap 2030, which targets to increase revenues derived from the MICE industry to some P25 billion by growing annual MICE arrivals to 3 percent, and increasing the total usable space for exhibitions to over 170,895 square meters.
Aside from the learnings derived from the engaging talks, the MICECON 2018 program also includes networking opportunities during themed social functions. It likewise aims to showcase what Bacolod City has to offer as a MICE venue, while further upgrading its capabilities in targeting and handling the MICE market.
The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is set to boost tourism in the Philippines as it simultaneously mounts the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) and MICE Buyers Invitational (MICECONnect) 2019 on October 20 to 27 to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist destination for both leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibits/Events).
To boost efforts in attracting Korean tourists to visit the Philippines, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, will be participating in two major travel fairs happening in South Korea —The Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) on 06 to 10 June 2019 and HanaTour International Travel Show on 07 to 09 June 2019.
Meanwhile, HanaTour is Korea’s largest tour wholesaler with 1,200 HanaTour exclusive sales offices selling 14,000 tourism products through its 7,000 partners across the globe. This year, the Philippines is the featured country, co-marketing and promoting with HanaTour from June to July 2019, with multiple online and offline activities. The Philippines will also have eight (8) booth spaces at the event to help retail agencies aggressively sell and promote Philippine tour products, and provide general information about the country to the public.
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