DoT set to showcase PH at two travel fairs

THE Department of Tourism (DoT) is preparing to promote the country's best tourism offerings at two key travel and trade events in June — the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) and the Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF) this year.

Both events will take place back-to-back in the first and second weeks of May: first, the ATM will be held at the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 6 to 9; and second, the Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF) will be held at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea, on May 8 to 10, 2024.

Established in 1994, the ATM is regarded as the gateway and main global travel and tourism platform for the Middle East's inbound and outbound travel industries, enabling $2.5 billion in deals and drawing thousands of exhibitors and trade visitors from all over the world.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco Photo from Department of Tourism

Meanwhile, the SITF or Korea World Travel Fair (SITF/Kotfa), is South Korea's largest international travel expo. With its 38-year existence, it brings together the incoming, outbound, and «intra-bound» tourist sectors in one platform to create related partnerships among a varied range of tourism enterprises.

«With the momentum from increased tourist arrivals from the Middle East and the resurgence of Korean tourists to the Philippines, it's vital to sustain our visibility at travel and trade events like the Arabian Travel Market and the Seoul International Travel Fair,» Secretary Frasco said.

Last year, the ATM welcomed a record-breaking 40,000 attendees and brought together more than 2,100 exhibitors and delegates from over 150 countries at the DWTC, highlighting the Middle East's thriving travel and tourism sector.

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Led by Secretary Frasco, the Philippine delegation to the ATM 2024 will include 16 participating hotels, resorts, travel providers and destination management businesses.

Meanwhile, this year's SITF/Kotfa will provide a platform for local and international tourism organizations from over 70 countries to promote their various tourism resources and cultures.

In 2023, the SITF had nearly 50,000 people and 1,130 exhibitors,