14 November 2016 – Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo inaugurated the Philippine Pavilion at the 2016 World Travel Market (WTM) at ExCeL London last November 07.
According to Secretary Teo, the United Kingdom remains the biggest source of visitor arrivals for the Philippines in Europe with around 117,500 UK arrivals to the Philippines that translates to a year-to-date growth rate of 14.5% from January to August 2016.
Secretary Teo led a delegation including Senator Maria Lourdes ‘Nancy’ Binay, chair of the Senate Committee on Tourism, Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez, chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Tourim, and other Filipino lawmakers who support the promotion of Philippine tourism.
The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) office in London collaborated with 33 Philippine travel agencies, resort and hotel owners, and tour operators who participated in the annual travel marketing event in London.
The Philippine Pavilion at the WTM also featured a fashion show themed ‘Mindanao Tapestry’ which highlighted the rich culture and vibrant colors of southern Philippines. Works of the Philippines’ top fashion designers such as Rene Salud graced the runway of the said show.
The WTM is an leading global travel event that is held in London every year. Over 50,000 senior tourism industry professionals, government officials, and international media representatives are known to attend the said event.
Now in its 37th year, WTM generates more than Php150 billion of travel industry contracts annually. The Philippines has participated in this popular tourism exhibition for more than 20 years. Tourism Attaché Gerry Panga reported that the current delegation has the biggest number of participants from both the government and the private sector in recent years.
Prior to the opening of the WTM, the Philippine Embassy hosted a Kapihan sa Pasuguan last November 06 where Secretary Teo, Senator Binay, and Congresswoman Torres-Gomez presented the government’s programs and initiatives to support the tourism industry as a powerful engine of economic growth for the country.
The event was attended by other delegates from Congress, Embassy officials, representatives of the Filipino community and media organizations in the UK. The Philippine officials encouraged UK-based Filipinos to help in promoting the Philippines as a tourist destination within their immediate spheres of influence.
The three-day event included the media address of Secretary Teo who was joined by the Philippine Embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires Gilberto Asuque. The media event launched The Tubbataha: A National Treasure coffee table book published by Marissa Floirendo with photos by Maria Teresa "Tet" Lara. It also included presentations of PDOT's partner organizations such as Philippine Airlines, Dive Worldwide, Expedia, and Beautiful Destinations. END
