To further boost the country’s dive spots, the Department of Tourism on Monday announced the return of the Philippine International Dive Expo, happening from 23 to 25 February 2023 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Coined as the country’s largest platform for the diving community, PHIDEX prides itself as the only dive show in the region with its value-added event components, including Dive Travel Exchange business-to-business meetings, a Dive Conference and post-event dive familiarization tours.

In a statement, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, a certified diver herself and chair of the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, hailed PHIDEX’s “timely” comeback with the Philippines’ recent victories in the dive industry.

In 2023, the World Travel Awards recognized the Philippines as the World’s Leading Dive Destination.

The country also won as Asia’s Leading Dive Destination, its fifth straight win, a testament to the collective efforts to preserve and further promote the dive industry together with stakeholders from the local government, the private sector and various dive communities.

"The PHIDEX is a manifestation of the Department's thrust toward strengthening the country's diving portfolio and our diving stakeholders and enthusiasts' commitment to leveraging the country's natural assets beneath our vast waters as one of the favorite diving destinations in the world," she said.

"Being one of the 18 mega biodiverse countries in the world, The Philippines boasts a multitude of marine species from across our regions of over 7,641 islands. I encourage our fellow Filipinos and foreign friends to come and visit us, and see for yourselves the beauty in our waters, finding more reasons to love the Philippines through the PHIDEX," she added.

With the theme “Heart of Asia’s Diving: Collaboration for the Ocean Community,” the fourth edition of PHIDEX will specifically showcase the Philippines’ competitive edge as a diving destination for adventurers and enthusiasts alike. It will also provide an avenue for stakeholders to connect, network, and generate investments for local and international experts to share industry knowledge as well as best sustainable practices for ocean tourism in a global context.

Further, the DoT secretary said diving is also a key priority for the DOT as part of its multi-dimensional tourism approach, evident through its series of successful dive-related initiatives launched across the country.

These included the Anilao Underwater Shootout in Batangas, the DIVE7 Festival series, Davao Dive Expo, NorthMin Dive, Cebu Travel Catalogue, BHOLDEX, MisOr Dive Festival, Samal Island Dive Safari, Bay Deep Mati Freediving Festival and the inaugural Philippine Tourism Dive Dialogue held in Cebu last September, among others.

For the exhibition component of PHIDEX 2024, the DOT has partnered with Underwater 360, organizer of the Asia Dive Expo, the longest-running and largest dive expo in Asia.

Over 100 exhibitors, representing dive resorts, dive shops, training agencies, insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, marine conservation associations and National Tourism Organizations are expected to join the expo.