Description
The Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) London Office once again joined the one of the largest annual travel consumer shows in the United Kingdom - “Destinations” at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre on 01–04 February 2007.
Now on its 13th year in London, The Times presented Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London, one of the UK’s leading consumer travel shows. It not only attracts over 54,000 passionate travelers all keen to check out the thousands of travel choices and exclusive deals but also acts as a hub of consumer travel information for the hungry journalists. The show is a great way of gaining inspiration for future features for the media as well as a perfect networking opportunity for both the tourism industry sellers and holiday makers.
This year alone, Destinations featured TV presenters, explorers and travel writers whose aim is to inspire and amuse audiences with tales of adventure, bravery, spirit and humour. There are also specialists’ on-hand from almost every destination and various holiday programmes you can imagine.
The Philippines with its marketing campaign was among the exhibitors to display a colorful, exotic and exciting destination featuring beaches, adventure, culture and nature. The Philippine stand overflowed with various tourism materials and native giveaways, which generated deep interest from guests and even intrigued neighboring trade exhibitors. Visitors were further treated to sample local Filipino delicacies such as dried mangoes, mixed nuts and choc-nuts that triggered even more curiosity among potential British visitors to the Philippines.
While the PDOT London Team wowed the crowd during the four-day event, the PDOT also reported numerous media features and releases during its first quarter implemented projects and activities.
Particularly, the Times came out with a Philippine article in the travel section of their 29 January 2007 issue, entitled “Island hop to another world”. The piece was written by Mr. Martin Symington, whose trip to the Philippines last March 2006 was organized by the PDOT London Field Office. This very positive two-page feature was consequently included in the official supplement of the Destinations show, and distributed for free to the mass crowds during the fair.
At the end of the four-day consumer event, Tourism Attaché Mr. Domingo Ramon C. Enerio reported an increase in consumer interest in traveling to the Philippines, proving that the country is indeed a paradise full of exciting and rich mix of people, culture and history. The country, adds Mr. Enerio, offers fine beaches, world-class dive sites and some of the best hotels and restaurants in Southeast Asia that appeal to diverse groups of people from all over the world.”
The Philippines is seen as a beautiful destination by the British traveling population, which showed a remarkably strong interest in our 7,107 tropical islands. UK arrivals rose from 63,002 in 2005 to 68,490 in 2006, representing a total growth rate of 8.7%. One of the key reasons for this increase is the aggressive and innovative sales, promotions and marketing efforts being conducted by the PDOT London Office year-round.
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