The 24th edition of the annual Philippine Travel Tour Expo is setting a high note in terms of magnitude. The event is expected to cover the whole building of SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, from February 10 to 12. This is organized by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association Inc. (PTAA), along with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and the country’s flagship carrier, the Philippine Airlines.

This year’s travel event will have a total of 311 exhibitors covering from different sectors such as airlines, travel agencies and tour operators, hotels and resorts, food concessionaires, local and international tourism organizations, cruise liners, theme parks, insurance companies and tourist merchandise product companies.

The number of exhibitors may have decreases compared to last year’s 331 as listed, but PTAA president Michelle Victoria dismisses the negative notion that it is a bad signal for the tourism industry. She clarifies that more exhibitors this year are renting or occupying more spaces compared to the 2016 expo. In fact, the number of interested participants has increased, although they have had to decline some due to space considerations.

The said issue, according to Victoria, is a wake-up call for a venue like SMX to expand their property so they can accommodate more exhibitors. Looking for another venue is not an option for them as of now, she adds, as the SMX location is very strategic and accessible to the market they are targeting.

During the event’s launch recently, Victoria, along with other officers of PTAA, assured traveling aficionados that they are still the biggest travel expo in the country, which offers the best discounted deals.

For the Philippine Airlines, Tony Herrera, AVP for Passenger Sales, also announced that they have mastered the queue so it can be easy for anyone who wants to buy promo tickets that they will offer in the expo. Herrera advised customers to be 100 percent decided on which destination they want to fly to, either domestic or abroad. He said also that based on their data, many Filipinos traveled to Japan in 2016, and it’s a good sign that indicates the buying power of Pinoys and the urge to travel abroad for vacation purposes only have risen considerably.

Also present during the launching was TPB OIC for Industry Relations Services Cesar Villanueva, who announced that a record of 67.8 million tourists visited the country in 2016. He expressed optimism that this will be surpassed this 2017 due to the exposure the country is getting in hosting the Miss Universe pageant, and the coming Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, too.

The three-day expo has an entrance fee of P60 for a one-day visit.