Travel fair to boost Mindanao tourism

AMID the crisis happening in Mindanao at present, tourism players in that part of the country can expect to get a boost from the International Travel Festival (ITF) slated in Cebu City next month.

Stephanie Villahermosa, managing partner at My Eventology Co., organizer of the ITF, said there had been no significant changes among Mindanao exhibitors despite the declaration of martial law over southern Philippines last month.

“For existing exhibitors, it wasn’t an issue. They believe in the event. They have seen how we work and they know we can bring crowds,” she said during the media launch for this year’s ITF last Wednesday.

Now on its fourth year, the ITF will be happening from July 14 to 16 at Ayala Center Cebu, this time carrying the theme “Take Me There From Here.”
Since 2014, the three-day event has enjoyed foot traffic of around 270,000 annually.

Villahermosa said they expect to welcome the same number this year, or even more, especially because the sale falls on a payday as well.

Co-presented by the Department of Tourism (DOT), DOT’s Tourism Promotions Board and Philippine Airlines, the event provides travelers opportunities to browse through over 100 exhibitors including local and international airlines, as well as hotels and resorts across the Philippines’ prime destinations.

As of Tuesday this week, 84 exhibitors from all over the country have signed up for the ITF, some of whom are from Mindanao, particularly DOT regional offices including that from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The DOT in Central Visayas has also initiated talks with regions in Mindanao to come up with strategies to cope with the ongoing security issues brought about by the terrorist occupation in Marawi City.

“We talked about exchanging businesses and how we can help them and in turn keep things afloat and moving,” said Villahermosa.

Earlier this week, the DOT organized a coordination and networking meeting among regional DOT offices in Mindanao as well as government and private tourism players from Central Visayas.

This was part of the tourism agency’s thrust to promote a one-country approach in terms of marketing tourism destinations in the Philippines.
Villahermosa said it would be hard to recover if everything was at standstill, but this was not the case.

She said destinations in Mindanao, particularly Cagayan de Oro and Davao, are stirring up a few things here and there just to keep everything moving.
One of the highlights of this year’s ITF is an extension at Ayala Center Cebu’s Gallery featuring four of the country’s most “indulgent” resorts like Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Eskaya, El Nido Resorts and Manila Hotel.

The Cebu Travel Exhange will also be held on July 12 at Shangri-La Mactan’s Resort and Spa, providing a venue for businesses and sellers to interact with one another.