Without much fanfare, the forthcoming Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) 2007 in Cebu will practically launch Central Philippines internationally as the country’s tourism Super-Region.
This, according to the Department of Tourism (DoT), is a logical conclusion since the Visayas region and nearby provinces in Luzon and Mindanao will naturally get much of the limelight.
"During its course, we cannot help but refer to Central Philippines as our tourism Super-Region, which is really the case as proclaimed by President Arroyo. This will be especially so when we present the event’s host province of Cebu as practically the hub of that super-region," said Phitex ’07 project manager Tess Mauricio.
Set on Sept. 5 and 6, Phitex ‘07 will have 120 of the world’s biggest foreign buyers of travel packages converging in Cebu to look at what Philippine tourism has to offer.
The event will be held at the famous Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), which has gained worldwide prominence for the Philippines’ highly successful hosting of the ASEAN Summit last January.
"The CICC and other new tourism infrastructure and facilities in the region are expected to gain much of the international attention," Mauricio said, citing the fruitful efforts of DoT Secretary Joseph Ace Durano in promoting foreign and local investments in tourism.
In Central Philippines alone, tourism investment projects include the pioneering 0 million Chi Spa Village at Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu, the opening of 1,000 hotel rooms on Boracay this year, the Bahura Dive Resort in Negros Oriental, the -million expansion of a plush resort in Palawan, the groundbreaking of a new international airport on Carabao Island in Romblon, and a newly–opened international airport in Iloilo, among others.
"Moreover, Central Philippines makes a good representation of the country’s brand image as a multi–dimensional tropical paradise of 7,107 islands since the region itself is more characterized by island clusters than the mainlands of Luzon and Mindanao," Mauricio said.
Phitex participants include Boracay Regency Beach Resort, Sumilon Blue Water Island Resort, Club Paradise, Dos Palmas Island Resort and Spa, Baron Travel, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, Southeast Asian Airlines, Asian Spirit, Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa, and Blue Horizons Travel & Tours.
They stand to benefit from the huge volume of business that Phitex can generate from the visiting foreign buyers, which include 15 from USA/Canada, five from the Middle East, and 10 each from Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, ASEAN, Australia, Europe, Russia and India.
Phitex will also provide free seminars on how to tap foreign markets, including France, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. The seminars will be conducted by DoT marketing representatives, tourism attaches or related authorities in the field.
The two-day Phitex includes table-top presentations and one-on-one business meetings between buyers and sellers, and pre- and post-event tours for the visitors who will market the Philippines in their respective countries.
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