Called Visit the Philippines Again (VPA), 2016, the road show was organised at a city hotel where hoteliers, resorts, spas, tour operators and airline companies from Philippines interacted with the local travel partners and buyers in B2B sessions.

Key participants included Lima Park Hotel, Paradise Garden Resort Hotel, travel partners such as Select Travel, Shroff Travel and Annest Holidays, and airline companies such as Thai Air, Cathy Airways, Philippines Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
 

DOT Philippines has been promoting destinations like Manila, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan and Davo in the recent years.
 

According to the DOT Philippines after AJACSS visa relaxation at all the international airports, the Philippines has attracted more Indians in 2016.

Speaking at the event, Verna C Buensuceso, Officer in Charge, Market Development Group, affirmed that India is a very important source market for the Philippines.

“Kolkata is a key market in the east. Hence we are looking forward to strengthen our relations with the local travel partners from the city,” said Buensuceso.

“The VPA 2016 campaign’s aim is to inspire travellers to revisit Philippines for more fun and adventure,” she added.

According to Glen Agustin, Chief, Tourism Operations Officer, Market Development Group, the number of Indian tourists visiting Philippines went up by 22.36 per cent, with over 74,000 Indian tourists visiting the country in 2015, and now the the department is aiming to increase the number of Indian visitors to 1, 00,000 by the end of 2017.

He said that though the direct flights to India by the Philippines Airlines were withdrawn in 2010, they are hopeful that flight services will  resume soon.

“We are already in the process of convincing a few airline companies. Two airline companies have given us positive feedback, The Philippine Airlines and a private low cost carrier, Cebu Pacific, are likely to resume services by the end of 2017,” added Agustin.

 

Similar road shows will also be held in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

(Reporting by Adit Majumder, Images By Avishek Mitra/IBNS)