The Philippine Travel Mart 2010

I always visit the Philippine Travel Expo which is held every February. But when March kicks in, I feel like it’s a long wait for February to come so when I learned of the Philippine Travel Mart, which occurred in September, I immediately grabbed the opportunity to visit the event.

Organized by the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), it was all about the various regions, provinces, and destinations in the Philippines. As I bought my ticket at the counter, I was given two stickers that I can stick on my favorite pavilions. I liked the Central Visayas pavilion, featuring Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Bohol, and Cebu. Of course, as I am from Bacolod City, I visited the Western Visayas booth where my province, Negros Occidental, is located.

Davao brought their products, as well as their Mutya ng Davao, who was a major attraction among the visitors.  Camarines Sur had a colorful booth as it highlighted its beaches, islands, and the water sports complex.

Resorts, hotels, tour operators, and airlines also had their booths set up in the Travel Mart. Special rates, activities and other means to attract visitors were offered by various booths. Every time I go to travel events like this, I always head first to the airlines, to check for low fares, and then I gather brochures from travel agencies so I can compare rates, and then I get brochures from tourism offices, hotels and resorts as reference for future trips.

As I was about to leave the venue with a bagful of brochures, maps, and literatures, I heard that the new Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim was gracing the event. I waited  for a while to hear him speak. He was delighted to find many people attending the Philippine Travel Mart as our country’s tourism has recently experienced various challenges. With the many Filipinos who trooped to the expo, I also hope that local tourism would give our country a boost it currently needs.

With the many beautiful places in the Philippines, I am more than willing to explore my very own country. I hope that others will also find their way to our beautiful beaches and rich cultural sites. As the theme of the Philippine Travel Mart, I can also say “Wow, Philippines! I love the Philippines!”