29 October 2013 – Across Canada in the past month, Philippine Ambassador Leslie B. Gatan has been orchestrating the vigorous promotion of Team Philippines-Canada’s first-ever Winter Escapade tour through career and honorary consular posts in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Charlottetown, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Tourism representatives based in San Francisco, Chicago and New York have also been pitching in their time and resources to the campaign.
Live presentations at Filipino community events, email blasts, official website and Facebook posts, media interviews and advertisements are among the platforms from which Team Philippines-Canada (TPC) is marketing the tour which will take participants to six Philippine destinations from January 18 to 24, 2014.
Packaged by Rajah Tours, Winter Escapade is supported by the Tourism Promotions Board. Ground arrangements being made in Kalibo, Boracay, Roxas City, Iloilo, Guimaras and Manila show all the signs of an extraordinary experience for participants.
More than the usual tour package, a business fair organized by local governments in Iloilo and Guimaras is part of the itinerary. “There is a special synergy at work in our Winter Escapade. For the past several years, the Canadian Government, through CIDA, has been funding capacity-building projects for local governments in several Philippine provinces. The idea is to develop investor-friendly and tourist-attractive local economies by creating an enabling environment for good governance and sustainable local economic development. Our Winter Escapade participants, therefore, will be in a position to pick the low-hanging fruits of this particular bilateral project,” Ambassador Gatan explained.
Large concentrations of Filipino snowbirds in Toronto and Vancouver are primary targets of this tourism campaign along with Edmonton and Calgary where sign-ups comprise nearly half of total registrants to date.
“I am heartened by the positive response of our audiences to our Winter Escapade invitation, from the Canadian eastern seaboard all the way to the west coast. Thankfully, our registration deadline has been extended to November 05. But even this new deadline is fast approaching so I urge interested parties to sign up for the tour now while package rates are still a guaranteed bargain. After November 5, we may accept more registrants but the price of the domestic tour might change. It is also very likely that plane seats and hotel rooms may no longer be available,” Ambassador Gatan stated.
Winter Escapade is open to all parties throughout Canada at incredibly attractive rates starting from CAD 850for a six-night, seven-day six-destination trip that offers the best of Philippine hospitality.
The online registration page can be found at www.winterescapadeph.com. The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa and Consulates General in key Canadian cities offer booking guidance by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or telephone (613.233.1121). END