ASEAN Travel Forum (ATF) returns to the Philippines for the 35th year of the event. Host city Manila – the country’s capital of fun and gateway to the rest of the Philippines – is all set to welcome some 1,600 international delegates, including ministerial officials, exhibitors, buyers, media and other travel industry professionals from some 50 countries for the week-long event.
Manila’s Entertainment City will be home to key ATF activities including the three-day TRAVEX travel trade mart from 20th – 22nd January 2016. This gaming and entertainment district is one of Manila’s latest attractions and features the capital’s premier SMX Convention Center and a selection of the world’s top hospitality brands such as Conrad, City of Dreams, Solaire and Resorts World, conveniently located within walking distance of one another.
Ramon Jimenez Jr, Secretary of Tourism, Philippines said: “The Department of Tourism (DOT) is honoured and proud of the Philippines’ hosting of ATF 2016. To all the delegates, we welcome you to our home, the Philippines. We hope that beyond the conference walls of this meeting, you experience our country in Philippines.
In Manila TTG Events, secretariat of ATF 2016’s TRAVEX event, announced that participation interest across the board has been encouraging. “Most of the exhibition space has already been snapped up and we have received applications from more than 300 buyers worldwide. We expect the numbers to rise rapidly in the coming weeks,” said Darren Ng, Managing Director, TTG Asia Media.
Selected buyers have received their hosting invitations, with more invitations scheduled to be sent out in the subsequent weeks. A total of 400 buyers will be fully hosted by the event. In addition, more than 500 booths from travel suppliers across Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, are forecast to fill the expansive hall of the SMX Convention Center.
Confirmed exhibitor Noor Ismail, Head of Sales & Marketing, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, Malaysia, is looking forward to promoting his expanded product portfolio that includes personalised golf tours, sports-events packages, gourmet packages, and cycling tours.
