It’s More Fun in the Philippines at the JATA Tabihaku and Travel Showcase!

 

The Philippine booth during the JATA (Japan Association of Travel Agents) Tabihaku Travel Showcase highlighted why it is indeed more fun in the Philippines!

Using our campaign slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” as the theme, this year’s Philippine booth was filled with vibrant colors and rhythmic music! Violinist Ms. Princess Ybanez and the percussion dance group Elmer Dado and Grupo Tribale showcased the world renowned Filipino talent.
Filipino traditional dances were performed by the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Filipino Dance Troupe.

Activities such as wearing of Philippine traditional costumes and audience participation in the bamboo dance was made to project an image of the country as a fun-destination. Travel packages to the country were also raffled at the Philippine booth during the consumer days of the event.

English study in the Philippines was also featured at the ESL corner of the exhibition show. Filipino coffee and sweets were distributed during the coffee break of the Tourism Forum.

The Philippine delegation included representatives from Bellevue Hotel and Resort Bohol, Be Resorts Mactan, Networld Hotel Spa & Casino, Plantation Bay Resort & Spa, Marco Polo Hotels, El Nido Resorts, Attic Tours Philippines, Inc., Fairmont and Raffles Hotel, Alegre Beach Resort, Friendship International, DOT NCR and DOT Region VII.

This year, the exhibition show reached a record high of 131,058 visitors. The number of booths also reached an all-time high of 1,353, with 730 companies/ organizations participating from 154 countries and regions around the globe.

2013 has been a special year for JATA with the signing of the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) during the opening ceremony of the JATA TABIHAKU Travel Showcase 2013. The signing of this agreement will pave the way for stronger mutual cooperation between the two organizations and will help position the Asia’s largest travel show into becoming one of the top three major travel trade shows internationally alongside ITB Berlin in Germany and London’s World Travel Mart.

A pre-opening event called the TABIHAKU Night 2013 was held last Sept. 12 at Zojoji Temple , one of the most revered and historical Buddhist temples– located near the Tokyo Tower. Selected guests-upon invitation only-were VIP’s and senior officers of the Japanese travel trade and foreign dignitaries and foreign VIP’s who attended the annual event.

A Buddhist prayer session was held inside the temple with incense burning and Buddhist monks praying for the success of the event.

This was followed by an array of traditional Japanese performances which included the ‘Koto’, shamisen and Japanese drums. All kinds of Japanese cuisine were served from Sushi to Soba. They also served Japanese Sake and various world renowned drinks.

To mark the start of the festivities, a ringing of the bell ceremony–Zojoji big bell- was held and six representatives from the travel industry were chosen to do this. The Philippines, represented by the DOT Tokyo Attaché Valentino Cabansag, was one of them- a sign that the country is now recognized as a major player in the Japanese travel industry.

The DOT Tokyo Attaché was also invited to become one of the speakers in this years’ JATA Tourism Forum. The topic in the afternoon session was about “Media and Tourism Promotion”.

DOT Tokyo explained how a National Tourist Office functions in its area of jurisdiction and how to engage the Japanese media in order to get optimum exposure and promote the country’s tourist destinations. At the same time joint activities with various partners are encouraged and these should satisfy the interest of the audience/the public for a win- win formula beneficial to all the parties involved.

The Philippine participation in JATA Tabihaku Travel Showcase 2013 has positioned the country as a major tourist destination for overseas Japanese travelers.