ITCHING to travel abroad or anywhere in the country? The Cebu Tours and Travel Association (CTTA) and Cebu Alliance of Tour Operations Specialists (Catos) suggest Cebuanos should head to Ayala Center Cebu on Feb. 15 to 17 as they mount the fifth Cebu Travel Catalogue International (CTCI) where over 100 tourism players will join the three-day travel expo.
CTTA president Angelita Dy said the CTCI will feature discounted airline tickets, hotel rooms and tour packages here and abroad.
She said mounting expos like this beef up the tourism activities in the country which has been steadily growing since the past years.
“Activities like these encourage people to travel, which is good for the economy,” said Catos president Alice Queblatin.
The three-day expo will be participated by exhibitors that include Cebu’s top tour and travel agencies, hotels and resorts, domestic and foreign airline companies, and local and international tourism offices.
Joining for the first time this year is the Israel Ministry of Tourism. According to Queblatin, Israel is banking on the Filipinos’ strong interest in overseas travel. She said Israel wanted to see more Filipinos to go not just on pilgrimage tours to the Holy Land but also see the other tourism attractions of their country.
Besides Israel, Japan Travel Bureau, Korean Tourism Organization, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Czech Tourism, Hong Kong Tourism Board, and Singapore Tourism Board will also be represented during the expo.
According to CTTA’s Shiela Colmenares, Japan and Korea are two favorite overseas destinations of Cebuanos.
They also see high traffic of Filipinos going to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan because of its Visa-free policy and recently China.
Taking centerstage in the upcoming expo are the eco-tourism attractions in the province such as in Bantayan and Camotes, among others.
Moreover, a new feature in this year’s edition of CTCI is also the travel auction.
Dy said to be auctioned off are luxury stays, tour packages, and flight tickets which proceeds will be used to buy school supplies this school opening.
Among the participating airlines for the three-day travel expo include the Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Eva Air, Korean Air, Silk Air, Tiger Air, and Turkish Air.