Deals galore at TravelTour Expo

MANILA, Philippines - From as much as 80-percent airfare discounts to a variety of new holiday destinations on their list, the 2014 TravelTour Expo (TTE) is once again opening its doors to travel enthusiasts and give them a fairer share of local and international tourism’s bounty.

More than 500 booths and more than 200 exhibitors from the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries from here and abroad will be featured in the 21st TravelTour Expo.

Featuring the theme “Love Life, Love Travel,” the TTE is by far the biggest in terms of exhibition area and the most diverse line-up of participants since the TTE was conceived in 1994.

Slated at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Feb. 14 to 16, the event will occupy Halls 1 to 4 at the ground floor of SMX and the Function Room 5 at the upper floor with a total floor area of 11,480 square meters.

For this year, there has been an increase in terms of the companies who are joining the TTE, with 244 booths.

Expected to attract a bigger crowd of travel enthusiasts this year, the TTE boasts of a wide array of holiday packages and travel deals. Varied flight and tour packages will come from 53 travel agencies and tour operators (inbound and outbound), 27 airlines, five cruise lines, and 96 hotels and resorts.

Also joining the event are 14 embassies and travel organizations, 12 product suppliers, six theme parks and entertainment destinations, 14 producers of food and delicacies, four travel insurance firms, and four media partners.

“We have a good mix of products for travelers planning to go abroad and within the country as well,” said TravelTour Expo executive director and Travel Enterprise Corp. president Marciano Ragaza III during the press launch of the 2014 TravelTour Expo.

He added: “We have a good mix of exhibitors that would complete your travel, and even exhibitors that sell luggage and whatever would be useful for your travel needs.”

The expo is also a good avenue for those who are searching for the best packages for year-round business tours. John Paul Cabalza, president of TTE and Cencorp, Inc. managing director, said, “We would have a lot of tour operators and travel agents who will be able to assist you in terms of planning for company outings, incentive programs, conventions and specific meetings and events that certain corporations would do for the whole year. This is definitely a good venue for a one-on-one talk for exhibitors and buyers.”

Another interesting part of this year’s TTE is its emphasis on medical tourism through Villa Medica. Cabalza said, “We will also be working on the possibilities of pushing this aspect of medical tourism in this country so we are looking into that.”

Travel buyers can also expect the most attractive travel packages being offered by airline companies during the expo. Ragaza said, “If you are thinking of buying a ticket for October, you can also buy it during the expo and we promise that it will be the best fare that you can buy at the time.”

Aside from promoting outbound tourism, Ragaza also highlights their strong support on inbound travel as well.

“It does not only promote outbound tourism but inbound tourism as well. As a matter of fact, we would like to think that on a per person basis, we are serving more inbound domestic tours. This is something that we have been equally promoting. We believe that the TTE has created a synergy between inbound and outbound tourism,” Ragaza added.

The increasing number of local travelers may be attributed to the promotions and expositions being held by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), which has been organizing the annual TravelTourExpo.

Previous editions of the expo have seen an increasing presence of domestic tourism suppliers such as local airlines, domestic tour operators, hotels and resorts in the various islands as well as provincial tourism councils, which showcase the various destinations around the Philippines.

Affordable offers and unique packages await those wanting to see and discover more of the islands.

For this year, the TTE will have two pavilions within the four halls of the venue: the international portion on the right, and resorts, hotels and tour operators serving the domestic side, on the left.

The 2014 TTE will also display an open and interactive layout. Ragaza said, “I have seen the design and it’s also something to behold. Just going to this event is something to behold. It’s hard to describe but all these participants who have joined are trying to beat each other and trying to come up with the most presentable booth in the TTE.”

For P50 regular entrance fee (including students and children) and P20 for senior citizens, the public can line up for the best deals and packages (flights and accommodations) from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 14 to 16.

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For more information on the 21st TravelTour Expo 2014, call the PTAA Secretariat at (632) 552-0026 to 29 or e-mail at ptaa@ptaa.org.ph, jojoclem@ptaa.org.ph or ched@ptaa.org.ph. Follow on FacebookTravelTour Expo.