17 February 2016 - To kick off the “Visit the Philippines 2016” event in Poland, the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw participated in the City of Poznan’s biggest tourism promotion event dubbed “Tour Salon” from February 12 to 14. 

It was the first time the Philippines took part in the Tour Salon in the 42 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Poland, including the reopening of the Philippine Embassy Warsaw in 2009.

There were at least 2,032 visitors to the Philippine booth based on the total number of the Polish version of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” brochures given to booth visitors. Recordings of Philippine “kundiman” were also given away to increase awareness about the Philippines’ heritage and culture, about which very little is known in Poland.

During the event, the Philippine Ambassador to Poland Patricia Ann V. Paez and Attaché Evelyn Vega held several meetings with investors and partners from the Polish prosecutor. Among these investors is account manager of “Meet the Bidder” Mr. Marcin Lewandowski who invited the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw to participate in its program which “offers exclusive meetings with carefully selected Polish meeting planners.”

Mr. Rafal Jankowiak of Misja Travel, which offers pilgrimage tours to Poland, is looking to partner with a Philippine counterpart travel agency in the Philippines.

Borkowski, co-founder and managing director of the Sven Hedin Travel Group, mentioned his interest in offering tours to Asia, including the Philippines. Ambassador Paez gave him a list of travel agencies/tour operators which specialize in the European market.

Ms. Sylwia Lisowska, Product Manager of Opal Travel, which has been offering travel packages to the Philippines, helped at the Philippine booth and answered questions from the booth visitors. Opal Travel is presently offering a 16-day travel package to the Philippines covering Luzon, Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, and Boracay. Mr. Mariusz Dudzicki and Mr. Darek Perzanowski also served as volunteers who engaged with fellow Poles interested in going to the Philippines as tourists.

Mr. Mateusz Pieniazek of MT Targi Polska urged the Embassy to participate once more in LATO 2016 which will be held from April 22 to 24. The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw first participated in LATO 2013 and won the “Most Professsional and Creative Booth Award.”

Architect Wojciech Wycichowski of the Art_Embassies World Project in Lodz, Poland extended an invitation to the Philippines to set up a mini-art embassy in the City of Lodz. Ms. Celina Dtugakczyk, director of Gaminco offered her company’s services to organize Philippine promotion events in the region of Silesia.

During the Gala dinner, the president of the Polish Chamber of Tourism Mr. Pawel Niewiadomski informed Ambassador Paez that his travel agency Holiday Tours had already sent two tour groups to the Philippines since he went on a Familiarization Tour to the Philippines on March 2014 as head of delegation of the Polish tour operators.

Indonesia, Viet Nam and the Philippines were the only Asian countries which participated in this year’s edition of Tour Salon. Indonesia’s Ambassador Peter Gontha also dropped by the Philippine booth.

Last year’s edition of Tour Salon was attended by nearly 330 companies from 20 countries and by 11,000 people half of whom were professsionals from the tourism industry. END