Philippines Participates at the Riyadh Travel Fair 2017
Charge d' Affaires, a.i. Iric C. Arribas (4th from left) together with the Philippine delegation from the Department of Tourism headed by Assistant Secretary Reynaldo L. Ching, (3rd from left). Photo courtesy of the Eye of Riyadh.
05 May 2017 RIYADH — For the 5th consecutive year, the Philippines participated in the Riyadh Travel Fair 2017 which was held from April 07 to 10 at the Prince Sultan Grand Hall in Al Faisaliyah Tower Hotel, King Fahad Road, Riyadh.
The Philippine annual participation aims to continuously promote the tourism sector in the Philippines and open various opportunities for trade and industry between the Middle East and Saudi Arabia among others. The Philippines’ 72 square meter booth located in the middle of the grand hall is one of the biggest and colorful stands in the event.
The Philippine delegation from the Department of Tourism (DOT) was headed by Assistant Secretary Reynaldo L. Ching, with Mr. Francisco Lardizabal and Mr. Glen Raymund Agustin. Representatives from AVIAREPS (the Philippine tourism marketing office based in Dubai), Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, and Sheridan Hotel and Resorts Palawan and Safari Travel, a Riyadh based tour operator were also present at the event. Volunteers from Pink Tarha, an online lifestyle guide formed by 4 Filipino women based in Riyadh, were also present at the booth to assist female guests.
Tourism arrivals from the Middle East, particularly from Saudi Arabia, has continuously increased in the past 5 years. In 2016, a total of 91,501 visitors from the Middle East visited the Philippines, a 9.52% increase from the 83,546 arrivals in 2015. Of this number, 56,081 tourists were from Saudi Arabia, up from 50,884 arrivals in 2015.
DOT plans to hold another tourism activity in the Kingdom before the end of 2017. END