Tourism industry stakeholders joining NorthPhil Expo 2010

MANILA, Philippines - Not only tourism stakeholders in northern Luzon are joining the North Philippines (NorthPhil) Tourism and Travel Expo 2010, but also their peers in the Visayas and Mindanao, including Sabah, Malaysia, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.

DOT-Region 3 (Central Luzon) director Ronnie Tiotuico said the participation of tourism establishments across the entire archipelago, including neighboring Sabah, could turn the NorthPhil Expo 2010 into a national and international event.

“Aside from the NorthPhil exhibitors from Luzon’s far north in CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) to the far south in Region 5 (Bicol) and many others in between, popular destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao have confirmed their participation in this event,” Tiotuico said.

“They (NorthPhil exhibitors) include the Sabah Tourism Board, local government units in Western Visayas and South Central Mindanao, Boracay Regency Group of Resorts, Alta Vista Boracay, and Korea’s Asiana Airlines, among others,” he said.

Slated at the SM City Clark on Nov. 12-14, the NorthPhil Expo 2010 showcases the best tourism destinations, products and services in the country’s northern regions and affirms the rise of this part of the Philippines as a domestic and international tourism hub.

Such distinction is being enhanced by the continuous development and transformation of former US military bases Clark and Subic into freeports serving as international gateways to the northern Philippines and the rest of Luzon, from which sea and air travel to other parts of the archipelago can be launched.

Luzon alone is gaining the distinction as a virtual “tourism mall” with its contiguous sprawl of rich and diverse natural and cultural attractions and destinations that can all be reached by land. 

Many of those destinations are in the North, which will be aptly highlighted in the expo by the display pavilions of CAR, Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Aurora, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and the exhibit booths of the Tourism Investment and Economic Zone Authority, Clark International Airport Corp., Manila North Tollways Corp., the province of Zambales, various tourism organizations, and many other corporate and government entities.

With the theme “Go North! A Wellspring of Diversity!” the expo also features corporate booths offering package tours, traders’ displays of arts and crafts, and souvenirs and delicacies at farm-gate prices.

There will also be theatrical presentations on the history and customs of the different regions, corporate game shows, product demonstrations and raffles, food preparations, and social and business functions.

The three-day event stands to gain exposure from a wide range of visitors, including the consumer traffic at SM City Clark, which has a land area of 17 hectares, total floor area of 100,000 square meters, and over 300 shops and restaurants frequented by thousands of domestic and foreign tourists daily.

The Clark Freeport Zone itself is a famous tourism hub with its own world-class international airport, golf course and many other attractions.

Supported by the Central Luzon Tourism Council, the expo is a project of the DOT regional offices in CAR, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon.

The expo is managed by the Philippine Exhibits and Theme Parks Corp., which can be reached at (632) 832-9303 to 05, fax (632) 5562723, e-mail northphilexpo@gmail.com, and website www.northphilexpo.com.