Held at the SM Megamall MegaTrade Hall in metro Manila, PTAA waived all entrance fees for fully vaccinated individuals for the event. Photo Credit: Philippine Travel Agencies Association
The Philippines has concluded its first in-person trade show since the pandemic: the 28th PTAA Travel Tour Expo (TTE) and the 6th PTAA International Travel Trade Expo (ITTE) running parallel from 5-7 November, hosted by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA).
Held at the SM Megamall MegaTrade Hall in metro Manila, more than 200 exhibitors set up booths at TTE, including Conrad Manila, Department of Tourism (DOT) – MIMAROPA, Japan National Tourism Organization Manila office, Guam Visitors Bureau, Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) Manila office, Movenpick Resort and Spa Boracay, Malayan Insurance Company, and Tourism Malaysia.
In the buyers mix were leisure travellers, as well as travel and tourism practitioners, incentive and convention planners, government leaders, and business investors.
At the concurrent ITTE, exhibitors included Taipei Marriott Hotel, various travel agencies, and tourism organisations from Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Israel, Turkey, and US.
To create safe environments, some measures taken included body temperature checks upon entrance, reduced crowd capacity inside the exhibition halls (as mandated by the Covid-19 Inter-Agency Task Force), foot bath stations at entry points to disinfect the soles, and contactless registration via QR codes.
Protocol marshals were also placed at strategic points to ensure compliance. Other standard security measures include CCTV monitoring with face recognition function and crowd control by safety officers for every event.
PTAA President Michelle Taylan said, “I know that Filipinos will continue to have that thirst for new experiences in new places. I know those travel enthusiasts have more bucket lists to check off. And there’s no better way to serve them opportunities to do so than the biggest travel trade event in the country.”
Cancelled events contributed to an estimated 70% revenue losses at minimum due to Covid-19, according to independent MICE organisers and event operators. Metro Manila, where major MICE venues are located, was the hardest hit by local lockdown measures.
Under the government’s recently announced Alert Level 2, MICE and business venues are allowed to operate at 50% capacity from 5 November. To bolster visitor confidence whilst supporting the country’s vaccination programme, PTAA waived all entrance fees for fully vaccinated individuals for the event.
SM Megamall MegaTrade Hall is part of the larger SMX Convention Center group that has six other properties located in Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Olongapo City. The group’s SMX Convention Center Manila was recently named by World MICE Awards as the Best Convention Center in the Philippines for 2021.