12 February 2015 - More and more Israelis are visiting the Philippines, and the promotion of Philippine tourism at the 21st International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) 2015 held from February 10 to 11 in Tel Aviv is expected to further boost the upward trend in Israeli tourist arrival in the Philippines. Israeli tourist arrivals in the Philipines increased by 30% in 2013.
For the third time now, the Philippine Embassy partnered with the Philippines-Israel Tourism Chamber headed by its Chairman, Mr. Yariv Fisher, in participating in the IMTM which is held annually in Israel. Tour agencies Janddy Tours, Maman Aviation (PAL's representative in Israel), and FlyEast Ltd. joined the booth.
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Neal Imperial and Mr. Fisher led guests in formally opening the Chamber's booth on February 10. Members of various Filipino community organizations in Israel danced Sayaw sa Bangko, while the CFC Music Ministry sang "Kumukutikutitap" and "Let it Be." A crowd gathered at the booth to witness the opening ceremony, which was also covered by the local media.
Visitors to the booth were offered a taste of dried mango chips and Destileria Limtuaco's Paradise Mango Rum and Manille Liqueur de Calamansi to evoke images of the country's tropical beauty. Tourism materials from the Department of Tourism were also handed to visitors, and the Embassy provided information requested by tour agencies interested in partnering with Philippine tour agencies. The Department of Tourism's “It's More Fun in the Philippines” videos played continuously on a big screen.
Launched in February 2013, during the Philippines' first participation in the IMTM, the Philippines-Israel Tourism Chamber is one of the Embassy's key partners in promoting Philippine tourism in Israel. With the increasing interest of Israelis in the Philippines as shown by the significant increase of tourist arrivals every year and the more than 4.7 million Israelis who travelled overseas in 2014, the Embassy and the Chamber continue to cooperate in various marketing strategies such as participation in the IMTM, to tap into this huge potential and further boost tourism exchanges between the Philippines and Israel.
The IMTM is the biggest annual exhibition of Israel's tourism industry. It continues to attract hundreds of international exhibitors, with more than 23,000 visitors every year. The IMTM is covered by local and foreign media. With a professional conference held alongside the exhibition, the IMTM provides participants with a whole package of obtaining updates on global trends, challenges and best practices in the tourism industry, networking with potential business partners, and promoting their tourism industry to an international audience. END