Cordillera featured in int’l travel trade show in Germany

TOURISM

By Sonny Cosme 

The Cordillera was among sites featured in Philippine Tourism Pavilion during the 5-day Internationales Tourismos Borse(ITB) in Berlin,  Germany March 4-8.

The Banaue Rice Terraces with daily live wood carving demonstration by Jayson Taguyungon of Hungduan, Ifugao, attracted   international media groups and foreign consumers during the travel trade fair.

Cordillera coffee also took center stage in the event as free flowing coffee was served to guests who visited the Philippine pavilion, according to the Department of Tourism-Cordillera.

The Philippine pavilion  was  among top ten best exhibitors  in the Asia/Australia/Oceania regions.

The ITB is the world’s leading travel trade show- with the whole world of travel all in one location. Tour operators, online booking portals and hotels, travel agents, airlines  and many other service providers from over 180 countries present their products and services.

With more than 170,000 visitors, among them 113,000 trade visitors, and 11,000 represented companies from 180 countries, ITB Berlin is the leading Business-to-Business (B2B)-Platform  the tourism industry offers.

Leading the  Philippine delegation to the prestigious event  were DOT  and Tourism Promotions Board officials  including incoming  Cordillera regional director, Marie Venus Q. Tan, who is also concurrently the OIC of international promotions.

The delegation included DOT accredited tour operators, organizations, hotels and resorts including Philippine Airlines.

  “Participation in the ITB will help boost tourism international arrivals to the Philippines”, Tan said.

The DOT expects 10 million visitor arrivals to the country by the end of 2016.

DOT data shows about 29.80% of international arrivals in the Cordillera Region  come from Europe with France and Germany in the top 2. -- With reports from Jovita A. Ganongan