08 March 2017 NEW DELHI — The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, represented by Deputy Chief of Mission Arvin de Leon, participated in the training and business mission conducted in Ahmedabad by the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) and its marketing arm in India held at the city’s Hyatt Regency Hotel on February 24.
Ahmedabad is the biggest city in Gujarat state and is home to many of India’s largest industrialists.
About 90 travel agencies around Ahmedabad participated in the training and business mission. During the event, they met with representatives of 14 travel agencies and resorts in the Philippines that accompanied the DOT delegation led by Mr. Glen Agustin, Chief Tourism Operations Officer of the agency’s Market Development Division.
The Philippine delegation apprised the participating travel agencies of the different tourist destinations in the Philippines that could cater to the needs of the Indian market.
Consul General de Leon delivered a short presentation on Philippine visa policies for Indian nationals and answered questions from the participants.
DOT has identified India to be one of its emerging sources for tourists. In 2015, India was the Philippines’ 7th top market for tourism accounting for about 74,824 arrivals. This increased in 2016 with about 93,000 Indians visiting the Philippines for pleasure. In 2017, the DOT is targeting about 100,000 Indian tourists. END