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Saturday, November 19, 2005
10 countries to join ATF '06 in Davao City
MINDANAO and the rest of the Philippines stand to make a windfall from the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2006 as 458 exhibitors from 10 countries and 470 buyers and media practitioners from six continents are participating in this huge international event.
The ATF would be held in Davao City, which is slated from January 13 to 21 next year.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace H. Durano said all the 928 attendees had confirmed their participation even as registration for ATF 2006 is still ongoing.
Durano said that number included 372 trade buyers and 98 foreign media from Australia, Asia, Europe, Asean, North and South American and the Middle East.
Thailand tops the list of exhibitors, accounting for 133 of the 458 initially registered, followed by Malaysia with 100, Indonesia with 67, Singapore with 64, the Philippines with 38, Vietnam with 25, Myanmar with 15, Cambodia with nine and Brunei with seven.
Laos, however, is still preparing its list of participants.
Among the 372 trade buyers, 137 are coming from the Asean, 127 from Europe, 52 from Australia and Asia, 39 from the America, 13 from the Middle East, and four from Africa.
Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab said Davao City could easily rake in over a million dollars from the foreign participants during the event, computed at $90 per day for 10 days multiplied by the projected 1,800 international attendees.
"That amount does not include earnings from the expected influx of 1,200 domestic tourists and officials, and the long-term travel deals that the ATF will generate for all of Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines," Palabyab added.
In a press briefing in Davao City, ATF deputy secretary general Susan del Mundo said feedback from overseas had been overwhelming despite the negative travel advisories issued by some foreign governments against coming to the Philippines.
"They can't get travel insurance because of the negative advisory, but groups even from Germany, Russia, and Poland are coming over here (in Davao City)," del Mundo said.
Yet, it was only late this year that the hosting of the ATF 2006 was assigned to the Philippines after Myanmar, the original host of the event, had given up its 2006-2007 chairmanship of the Asean.
Nonetheless, extensive international promotion of the event being conducted by the Department of Tourism (DOT) has effectively stirred raves in the global industry.
Tapping its marketing arm -- Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC) -- the DOT has globally disseminated ATF information through foreign media releases, news updates, email blast, promo collaterals, website www.atfdavao.com, events and field marketing and all other below-the-line communications.
The efforts have placed the DOT at the hub of brisk activity for global participation in ATF 2006, which is now effectively putting Davao City and the rest of Mindanao in the world tourism map.
"All these would translate to thousands of foreign and local visitors flocking to Davao for the ATF 2006," Durano said, stressing the city's tourism profile as a major part of the event's communication portfolio being circulated to its vast international target market.
The ATF is supported by the Philippine Airlines as head of the organizing body's air transportation committee, TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd as travel exchange organizer, CNN as official international cable and satellite media partner, and Travel Weekly, TTR Weekly and TTG Asia as official trade publications.
The nine-day event comprises a travel trade fair that will be staged at the NCCC Convention Center.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (November 19, 2005 issue)
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