Clark expo to prop up North Phl as global tourism hub

MANILA, Philippines - An international expo being organized by the Department of Tourism is seen to boost the rise of North Philippines as a global tourism hub centered on Clark with its airport’s ever-increasing passenger volume and huge, yet highly expandable, capacity for both international and domestic air traffic.

DOT Central Luzon director Ronnie P. Tiotuico said the forthcoming NorthPhil Expo 2014 would further highlight the inevitability of the Clark International Airport emerging as a premier global gateway even by mere capacity alone.

“The current and potential capacity of our airport (Clark) can complement, absorb and conveniently accommodate any spillover airlines from NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport), prompting foreign carriers to give Clark some serious considerations.

“Now add this looming scenario to the consistent rise in Clark’s passenger volume of 1.3 million in 2012 alone, plus the quality road infrastructure in Luzon north of Metro Manila and its mall of landbased attractions and destinations, and you have a great recipe for a tourism boom in your hands,” Tiotuico explained.

He said Clark’s 1.3-million passenger volume was a 73-percent increase from 2011, which could continue to provide the momentum for NorthPhil tourism’s exponential growth.

“Aptly, we are adopting this year’s World Tourism Day’s theme Tourism and Community Development for the NorthPhil Expo 2014 to underscore the urgent need for product development to make the local industry keep up with the continued surge of visitor arrivals in the region,” Tiotuico stressed.

Slated at the Event Center of the SM City Clark in the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga on November 14-16, the NorthPhil Expo is a project of the DOT offices in Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region and the Cordilleras, and supported by the Association of Tourism Officers of Central Luzon.

The exhibits showcase tourism and travel destinations, products and services, provincial pavilions, corporate booths offering affordable and excellent tour packages, and traders’ booths selling arts and crafts, souvenirs and regional delicacies.

Also constituting the expo are It’s More Fun @ NorthPhil Expo Quiz Bee Challenge, Flairtending Competition (professional and amateur categories), corporate gameshows and raffle draws, cultural presentations, arts and crafts demonstration.