Travel expo aims to boost VisMin tourism

Cagayan de Oro City, dubbed as the ‘city of golden friendships’ because of its local hospitality, will host the Philippine Travel Agencies Association’s (PTAA) first-ever travel event in the Visayas and Mindanao (VisMin) region.

The TravelTour Expo (TTE) 2024, launched by the PTAA, aims to highlight the region’s beauty and travel destinations.

The three-day travel event is set from July 19 to July 21 at the LimketKai Atrium in Cagayan de Oro City, the PTAA said.

“We believe this vibrant and welcoming city will bring us good fortune and foster business relationships. Let’s champion this event highlighting the beauty and diversity of the Philippines.” PTAA President, Evangeline Tankiang-Manotok said in her opening statement.

The agency aspires to make the Mindanao region the ‘pioneering destination’ in the Philippines, among other famous destinations in the country.

“Mindanao is so colorful, and I believe Cagayan has so much potential,” Ms. Tankiang-Manotok added.

PTAA also wants to empower the local travel agencies in the region by getting more market and potential clients in the upcoming travel event.

“Instead of this local agency dealing with another private agency in Manila to get their HongKong packages… Eurpoean packages, we could bring ourselves to them,” PTAA’s relations officer Jaison Yang explained.

The TTE 2024 will be a one-stop platform for travel enthusiasts to explore travel opportunities with over 50 exhibitors, including airlines, hotels, resorts, local travel agencies, and tourism boards, as they showcase their travel offers through exhibits and booths.

The expo is expected to gain 20,000-to-40,000-foot traffic across the 132 booths in the trade travel event, reflecting the growing interest in travel in the Philippines.

With high hopes for the CDO event’s success, PTAA plans that the TTE’s next venue will be at Iloilo (Visayas) in 2025. – Edg Adrian A. Eva