The Department of Tourism (DoT) prepares for the arrival of about 200 travel executives next month who would promote the Philippines in their respective countries, it was announced by DoT Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan. Pagdanganan said that travel executives from Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, United States, Middle East, Europe, and ASEAN nations are coming over for the staging of the Philippine Travel Exchange on Sept. 3-7.
The visit of the travel executives will augur well for the country’s tourism promotion efforts since one-on-one business meetings have been arranged between the foreign travel executives and local sellers.
“This is expected to create an unprecedented tourism boom,” Pagdanganan said, as there are already 45 local sellers composed of airlines, travel agents, hotels and resorts. The local sellers will enter into business tie-ups with the foreign travel executives to promote the country’s destinations.
According to Pagdanganan, a tourism boom would create job opportunities even for unskilled workers. The job creation program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is seen to benefit by 2.5 million since the multiplier effect of a tourist is one job.
Pagdanganan, who was marketing czar of Unilever for 18 years, is bidding to have record tourist arrivals of 2.5 million this year to top the 1997 record of 2.2 million. For the first six months, a total of 1.5 million tourists have arrived already, up by 32.4 percent.
He said that it is high time the government, together with the private sector, inculcate in each Filipino the culture of tourism as this “forms the sturdy backbone that supports tourism growth.”
“This culture of tourism, where every Filipino becomes accountable for the maintenance of peace, harmony, cleanliness, and beauty in his community, will bring in tourists who will similarly promote the country and increase the country’s foreign exchange receipts,” he said.
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