P.A.N.G.L.A.O., Bohol – The travel business has to keep tourism going in the most unusual ways.
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who is in charge of tourism, said this at the end of the 2020 Philippine Travel Exchange (P.H.I.T.E.X.) in Panglao, Bohol, on Friday, September 25.
“Our decision to move forward with P.H.I.T.E.X. in a hybrid way, with some of us going to Panglao in person, was a great way for all of us to learn. Puyat said, “The policies and practices that the provincial government of Bohol has put in place support a slow, safe, and long-term way to reopen tourism.”
At a press conference earlier today, Puyat said that with the success of 2020 P.H.I.T.E.X., the first tourism event in the world to include a hybrid B2B component, the Department of Tourism (D.O.T.) is now looking into the possibility of reopening the island province to local tourists, especially for small meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (M.I.C.E.) events.
The governor of Bohol, Arthur C. Yap, agreed with the tourism chief’s ideas. He also said that the province will think about hosting MICE events “with small and controlled groups.”
This happened after Puyat said Panglao was an excellent place for a travel bubble because it was COVID19-free and had strict health rules for travellers. These include the need for testing before a trip, wearing face masks and shields, and keeping a safe distance in the plane. Also, all visitors must be given contact tracing cards to track their movements to help with COVID case management. Hotels, resorts, and other places to stay must follow D.O.T. standards and protocols.
“Those who want to visit Bohol can trust our tourism businesses that have been given the purple seal, which stands for the Ultimate Bohol Experience (U.B.E.). “The U.B.E. seal means that safety, health, and sanitation standards are followed and met in full,” Puyat said.
To prepare for the safe return the MICE events, the D.O.T. has put out rules for how it will work under a modified general community quarantine (M.G.C.Q.) and separate controls for how MICE organizers will work under the new normal.
“The D.O.T. will keep making health and safety rules for MICE activities in the country better so that they keep up with what’s happening around the world,” Puyat said.
P.H.I.T.E.X., which is in its 24th year, is the largest travel exchange in the country and is run by the government. The hybrid format of the event made it stand out. From September 23 to 25, 122 foreign buyers from 34 countries participated in a series of virtual activities, such as webinars, tours, and meetings with 345 seller delegates from 161 tourism businesses and groups across the country. A small number of participants also went on authentic terms of the province.
Based on some data as of 8:50 a.m. on September 26, the head of tourism said that P.H.I.T.E.X. is expected to bring in Php 4.5 million. From September 23 to 25, 32 bookings and 367 leads (with a 66 per cent success rate) were made. Puyat said this only applies to 50 of the 354 PHITEX sellers, or 14%. The event also made it possible for 1,134 contacts to be made, which is about 23 contacts per seller on average.
The Travel Exchange (T.R.A.V.E.X.), a series of business-to-business virtual meetings between Philippine sellers and foreign buyers, was a big part of the hybrid P.H.I.T.E.X. edition. It also had a series of online games and quizzes about the arts and culture of the Philippines called “Philippines 360”, and a virtual tour of Manila called “Philippines’ Capital of Fun.”
