31 March 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Agana hosted the launching of the 10th Ambassador, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (10th ACGTDT) in the Philippines and Get-Together of past Guam participants in the program from 2005 to 2014 on March 28 at the Top of the Reef of the Guam Reef and Olive Spa Resort Hotel. This was the first time that the Consulate General hosted a formal launching of the ACGTDT since the tour’s inception in 2005.
More than 50 past and prospective participants attended the event. The event also served as a reunion of past Guam delegates who joined the tour during the last 10 years.
Philippine Consul General Marciano R. de Borja welcomed the participants and encouraged them to join this year’s tour to be held in Manila and Cebu from July 06 to 09. He mentioned that this year is the 10th Anniversary of the program and the Consulate General’s goal is to double the number of participants from Guam compared to the past programs with additional delegates from Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. He also mentioned that one of the primary goals of the ACGTDT when it was conceptualized was to help double the tourist arrivals in the Philippines.
Consul Edgar Tomas Q. Auxilian introduced the 10th Ambassador, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour in the Philippines by his presentation that includes the ACGTDT history, tour itinerary and mechanics as well as past editions of the ACGTDT. The three-night, four-day tour which will be held in Manila and Cebu will kick off to visits of key sites in Manila and Cebu with detail arrangements and itinerary.
The presentation was followed by the testimonies of selected past participants of the ACGTDT, namely, Ms. Virginia Stadler, a one-time tour participant who joined the tour in 2007, Prof. Mila Alcazaren, another one-time participant of the tour who joined in 2014 together with her seven Tagalog Class students from the University of Guam, and Mr. Rey Llaneta, owner and President of ReMax Philippines and a three-time tour participant (in 2011, 2012 and 2013) who shared that he was encouraged by the message of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia when he first joined the program to look at the bright prospects offered by the Philippines, which led to his decision to open and head a franchise of ReMax, one of the biggest American real estate companies, in the Philippines.
The above testimonies and wonderful experiences during the tour helped the Consulate General encourage the new participants to join and promote Philippine tourism.
The program was capped by the showing of the Department of Tourism promotional videos “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” and “Visit the Philippines 2015”. Tourism posters were displayed and tourism brochures were given to guests. END