GO kayaking in one of the touristy destinations of Siargao. VENDELL VITTO

It is incredible to think that travel packages to many domestic and international destinations are exclusively available at one of the country’s largest annual travel and tourism events.

Holiday packages and hot deals await visitors at the 26th Travel Tour Expo (TTE) organized by Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) on 8 to 10 February at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Over 400 exhibitors are expected to offer markdowns on their offerings during the expo. Exhibitors include airlines, hotels, resorts, theme parks, cruise lines and other travel-related entities. The expo will also feature other tourism stakeholders in the country, embassies and national tourism organizations.

Several sellers from other countries will also take part, including those from Australia, Cambodia, Croatia, Dubai, France, Guam, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Portugal, Singapore, Spain and Turkey.

SIARGAO’s lush foliage makes the island destination more popular among tourists. VENDELL VITTO “Over the years, the TTE has become synonymous with great travel deals and we aim to keep that as we open the expo in February. Everything that our countrymen needs for their travels in 2019 will be at the expo,” said TTE 2019 organizing committee chairperson Marlene Dado Jante.

A beautiful archipelago with over 7,000 islands — 7,641 islands to be exact, the Philippines has a lot of unique destinations to offer.

“Boracay has opened up and it has become more popular than ever,” said PTAA president Ritchie Tuano. “Palawan is another destination that is being promoted highly. We also have Cebu, Siargao and Davao, among other destinations. Our national carrier has also increased its domestic flights, creating new hubs in other parts of the country to make sure that our countrymen, from wherever they are, have easy access to the other parts of the country.”

“Since traveling is no longer a luxury but a way of life, we have more travelers now, especially the millennials. They want to explore the Philippines and the world,” said Jante. With this, PTAA expects to surpass last year’s foot traffic of over 135,000 Filipinos during the three-day event.

Over the last three years, TTE has witnessed at least a 10 percent increase in the number of visitors.

The expo is open to the public. Entrance fee is P100 for regular visitors including children and students and P70 for senior citizens. Citibank cardholders enjoy free entrance and they can also enter the expo one hour earlier than the opening time for the public.

A cleaner and fresher Boracay. Vendell Vitto How to avoid travel scams

PTAA advises the traveling public to only transact business with legitimate and reputable travel agencies, such as PTAA members. The association has over 600 members, of which 68 percent are travel agencies operating nationwide.

Interested buyers and travelers alike navigating their way inside the expo hall in search of the best travel deals. “As an association, the PTAA has been a long-time partner of the government in its push to grow the country’s tourism industry. On the part of our members, we are providing them with year-round activities to put them in the best position to serve the public with all their travel needs and requirements,” said Tuano.

“Before being accepted to the PTAA, there is already a strict set of requirements. And once they become part of the association, they need to take part in activities that will further enhance the service they provide,” added Tuano.

Travel agency members of the PTAA offer services such as visa processing, document authentication, airline and hotel bookings and domestic and international tours for individual travelers and companies.