15 April 2016 – In an event where the Philippines was referred to as the “apex of the South East Asian Coral triangle,” the Philippine Consulate General and the Department of Tourism New York (PDOT) participated at the 2016 Beneath the Sea Travel Show which was held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ from April 01 to 03 to promote internationally-acclaimed dive and aquatic spots in the Philippines.
On hand at the PDOT booth were Consul Felipe Carino, director of the economic section, and Mr. Wendell Gaa; Ms. Mitchell Dy, PDOT Officer-in-Charge; Ms. Wen Sorioso, Senior Tourism Operations Officer for the Dive-Market Development Group of the PDOT office in Manila; Ms. Michelle Narvaez, Area Manager, and Ms. Charisse Rodriguez, Sales Agent of Philippine Airlines (PAL); and representatives from the dive resorts Discovery Fleet, Atlantis, and Azure Dive and Yoga Resort.
The activity at the Philippine booth was bolstered by Ms. Lynn Funkhouser, an internationally-renowned published photographer, environmental activist, author, lecturer and promoter in Philippine dive travel. Named Diver of the Year in 2014, her photos have appeared in such prestigious media publications as Time, Newsweek and National Geographic, usually in articles covering environmental matters. Since 1976, she has been diving and photographing marine life in the Philippines every two months a year. Having been to over 260 islands in the country, she has become a seasoned expert on Philippine sea diving and often collaborates with the PDOT in promoting diving destinations in the Philippines to the international market. Her photos are used at the booths of many international diving expos, where she also leads on presentations on the Philippine sea diving. She has been inducted into the inaugural Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2000 and into the Society of Women Geographers in 2008, where among her fellow honorees include famed aviator Amelia Earhart, anthropologist Margaret Mead and chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall. In a few weeks, she will be personally accompanying photographers/ divers from National Geographic to various aquatic locations in the Philippines to take photographs for an upcoming magazine issue.
A 10 x 40 exhibition booth for the Philippines displayed a large map pinpointing diving destinations in the country along with a video illustrating to guests the beauty of Philippine diving spots. Several pictures taken by highly-acclaimed scuba diver/ photographers showing various sea regions of the country were displayed at the travel show, which is considered to be the largest consumer scuba and diving travel show in North America.
Visitors to the Philippine booth, which was among the most popular at the event, were treated to a taste of the Philippines and were given Philippine tourism bags containing books and brochures on diving and snorkeling sites in the Philippines, such as Dumaguete, Panglao, Bohol, Cebu, Anilao, Verde Island, Apo Reef, Coron, and Puerto Galera. Visitors were given raffle prize tickets, and two door prize winners at the end of the travel show were awarded round-trip airfare tickets to the Philippines courtesy of Philippine Airlines.
Exhibit booths which heavily promoted dive tour packages in the Philippines were the Marco Vincent Dive Resort in White Beach, Puerto Galera, which was right next to the PDOT booth, along with World of Diving, Atlantis Dive Resorts and Liveaboards, Pacific Dive and Travel, Inc., South Pacific Island Travel, Scuba Travel Ventures, Quest Dive Adventures, Ultimate Dive Travel, and Island & Cruise Adventures Inc.
The event also featured several conference and panel programs which gave the audience the opportunity to interact with resource persons who imparted their personal experience and insights from their trips. In all, eight presentations were given on Philippine dive sites at the nearby Holiday Inn Hotel, namely “Dumaguete: From Nudibranchs to Whale Sharks” and “Puerto Galera: 100 Hours Below The Surface,” by Mr. Michel Gilbert and Ms. Danielle Alary; “Bethlehem In the Bohol Sea” and “Diving Paradise: Dawn of the Muck Monsters,” by Mr. Paul Cater Deaton; “Diving Six Islands,” by Mr. John Ares and Ms. Anita George-Ares; “Incredible Critters of Verde Passage” by Mr. Jim Stayer and Ms. Pat Stayer; “Diving Paradise: The Philippines-The Apex of the coral triangle,” by Ms. Lynn Funkhouser; and “Diving Paradise: The Philippine Expedition 2015 Lak-Bay Pilipinas,” by Mr. Tony Gramer. The presentations were well attended, with approximately 20-30 attendees for each panel.
The aquatic and diving destinations market worldwide has enjoyed strong growth in recent years and the Philippines is well-positioned to capture a significant segment of the market with its unique blend of aquatic and marine beauty and wildlife that attract underwater photographers and adventurers alike. The Philippine Department of Tourism is highly supportive of the diving industry and is focused on enhancing promotion and marketing activities for the North American market. END