The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines and the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) in the United Kingdom spearhead the Philippine participation at the 2022 World Travel Market at ExCeL London.
To showcase the best of the country, the Philippine booth featured popular destinations such as Palawan, Cebu, Boracay, Bohol, Siargao, the Cordilleras, and Manila as well as highlighting diverse cultural offerings including the Kadayawan Festival of Davao and the Bicol Express dish from the Bicol Region.
With this year’s theme revolving around wellness and sustainability, a Philippine Networking Night will be conducted on November 8 at “The Retreat,” a Philippine-sponsored area where event-goers can experience a nature-inspired wellness spa setting and indulge in “Hilot” (pronounced hee-lot), an ancient Filipino healing practice. Visitors will also be treated to flair bartending, a food demo, and pocket performances by notable Filipino artists.
“With experiential travel as one of the biggest travel trends in this post pandemic period, our goal is to immerse visitors in the unique Filipino brand. The heart and soul of our people and the stories we fight to keep alive. Wellness, sustainability, design, culture and tradition are just some of the many components that come with our most recent travel packages. Coupled with our sun, beach and dive destinations, adventure tours, colorful festivals, and a mélange of culinary delights, we have high hopes for the Philippines to be a top of mind destination,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita MontemayorNograles.
This year’s edition of WTM is not only expected to benefit the global travel industry but also restore travel confidence. Hundreds of exhibitors, industry leaders, motivational speakers, and international celebrities are also taking part in the event.
Philippine companies from the travel and tours, hotel, and dive sectors make up the Philippine contingent to the WTM 2022 London, an annual event that invites the biggest names and brands in the travel and related sector.
“The Philippine delegation has come here with a singular mission, and that is to convey to the rest of the world that the Philippines is open and ready to receive tourists and investments. I pray for the success of this mission because there’s no reason why we should fail because we have such a beautiful country,” DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said during the huddle with the exhibitors.
WTM London is a global travel and tourism event where the biggest names in the industry from every sector and every background can connect and network with each other and find new ways to grow and develop their business.
Frasco said the Philippines is ready to receive more tourists as the outlook for Philippine tourism remains positive, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s support for the industry as a priority in his administration.
Prior to my assumption on June 30th, the projections were that the Philippines will receive 1.7 million tourists by the end of this year. Since we have begun with all the programs and plans of the Marcos administration, we have far surpassed this goal,” Secretary Frasco said.
Based on the DOT’s latest data as of November 7, tourists arrivals to the Philippines has now reached 1.9 million.
“Driving our economic recovery are no other than the Filipino people. We have a young and well-trained workforce who are as kind and gentle a people, as they are courageous and fierce,” she added.
“By way of the President’s issuing of an Executive Order to lift the prohibition on the entry of unvaccinated foreigners, our guests are just now required to show a negative antigen test should they wish to come to the Philippines,” Secretary Frasco said.
