The Tourism Promotions Board confirmed this week it is going ahead with plans to host the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) from 19 to 23 September 2021, at a venue in Subic Bay.
   
In a statement released on Thursday by the Philippines News Agency, TPB advised Philippine sellers to register online to participate in the upcoming expo. The event will convene in a hybrid format to reach out to travel buyers who cannot travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Last year’s PHITEX was about pivoting as we had to face the challenges of going hybrid and leveraging on technology more than ever to conduct our business. Thankfully, it was a resounding success,” TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones commented.
In 2020, PHITEX was held as a hybrid event for the first time in Panglao, Bohol being one of the first tourism destinations to reopen during the pandemic.

It successfully secured 76 on-site bookings with projected revenue of over PHP42 million and has established 3,946 contacts and generated 1,205 leads.

“This year, PHITEX is targeting more than a hundred buyers and sellers,” TPB confirmed.

Philippine sellers must be DOT-accredited or TPB members. Foreign buyers, meanwhile, must be companies that are already selling the Philippines as a destination but are attempting to expand their tour programmes.