DOT TPB brings to Bohol

Travel, MICE organizers

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, October 25 (PIA)—The Department of Tourism’s Tourism Promotions Board (DOT-TPB) brings to Bohol international and local tourism travel agents in this year’s season extension of the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) and Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events /Exhibitions (MICE).

The group here, on post-convention familiarization tours and ocular visits is composed of suppliers, tour operators and tour agents who organize travels and tours, says Events Marketing and Services Division, MICE Promotions Department, of the TPB Philippines Officer in Charge Raquel Ruth Tria.

Tria said the Bohol sortie is a continuation of MICE convention in August last year in Bacolod, where the TPB, in response to its mandate to market and promote the Philippines domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism and MICE destination.

Now in strategic partnership with the private and public stakeholders, other than travel and tour operators, the TPB also brings to Bohol airlines, hotels, resorts, convention centers, event and exhibit organizers to check on Bohol tourism’s promise to deliver a unique high-value experience for visitors.

All over, organizers hope to make these visitors plan their tours and incentives to Bohol which will significantly contribute to increased tourist arrivals, heap on receipts and investments to the country, which hopefully makes the blessings of the economy seep into the country’s poor.

As an attached agency of the DOT, TPB Philippines brings to Bohol the educational segment of the Bacolod MICE, and this time focuses on bringing down the updates to stakeholders what Bohol can now offer and how it has faced and adopted to the issues, trends and how it is putting up its best practices.

The group comes via familiarization tours as well as ocular inspection to star rated service providers in hotels, resorts, meeting venues and convention centers, including suppliers of tourism allied service here, Tria explained.

Tasked to market the Philippines as a major convention destination in Asia, the TPB took charge of attracting, promoting, facilitating, and servicing large-scale events, international fairs and conventions, congresses, sports competitions and expositions, and bringing them to destinations across the country.

And by promoting, it brought in, the region’s as well as international tour and travel operators and agents, events organizers, booking and accommodation providers.

The group in Bohol comes as part of the country’s incentive to travel agencies abroad which were able to draw tourists and tourism investments to the country.

And while the MICE group is on the scout for the high-end service providers, PhiTEX on the other hand looked out for their needs in the general travel industry.

This year, according to the TPB, at the MICE Connect, there were over 60 buyers and 59 sellers in the event at the Hotel Marriott in Manila.

In the Bohol event, participants include over 40 buyers from PhiTEX and 9 from MICE, TPB said.

WARM PANGLAO WELCOME. A PHITEX / MICE delegate gets a fiery spectacular welcome from a Panglao firedancer during the welcome dinner hosted by the Department of Tourism Tourism Promotions Board. DOT TPB brought to Bohol travel agents and events’ organizers to sell Bohol as a perfect venue for incentives and vacation packages. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)