The Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2023, organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, achieved a remarkable milestone by generating over 296 million Philippine Pesos in negotiated sales during its two-day table-top meetings, which took place on September 20-21 at the Fili-NuStar Hotel in Cebu.
PHITEX 2023, designed to showcase the Philippines’ finest tourism attractions, establishments, services, and products to a global audience, brought together 164 seller delegates representing 119 Philippine companies and 88 buyers from 19 countries worldwide. The event was graced by the presence of Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and TPB Chief Operating Officer Marga Nograles.
The event yielded PHP 55,171,600 on Day 1 and PHP 232,964,100 on Day 2, resulting in a grand total of PHP 296,213,032 in projected income, including proceeds from sponsorship and participation fees.
Secretary Frasco, in her keynote speech, expressed her gratitude to the delegation and underscored the Philippines’ successful tourism recovery, citing over 3.8 million international visitors as of September 19, 2023, and more than PHP 316.9 billion in estimated revenue. She highlighted the inclusivity of PHITEX, which encourages international buyers to explore the rich diversity of the Philippines, and emphasized that what sets the country apart as a tourism destination is the warmth and hospitality of the Filipino people.
This year, PHITEX centered on the theme “Tourism Sustainability in the Era of the Internet of Things (IoT),” spotlighting the Philippines’ digitalization and sustainability efforts to meet global demands. COO Nograles, in her opening remarks, stressed the need to go beyond business transactions and highlighted TPB’s efforts to organize post-tours that introduce international buyers to grassroots initiatives, local textiles, culinary treasures, and eco-tourism activities.
In addition to business-to-business interactions, PHITEX serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing through its Philippine Educational Program (PEP) Talk. This year’s sessions covered the latest advancements in IoT, data privacy, circular economies, and gender dynamics in tourism, with experts sharing insights on current tourism trends and sustainability initiatives in the digital era.
The PHITEX 2023 event was made possible through the collaboration of various partners and sponsors, including NUSTAR Resort Cebu, Fili Hotel – NUSTAR Cebu, Destileria Limtuaco & Co. Inc., Uni-Orient Travel, Inc., The Muse Hotel Boracay, Wine Club and Charlton Trade, Cebu Pacific, 2GO, and Bigseed Public Relations and Events.
To mark the occasion, in-kind donations were provided by Engkanto, Angkas, and Barcino, while guests received giveaways and tokens of appreciation from Sunnies Studios, Klook, and Bench.
PHITEX 2023 received support from the Department of Tourism Region VII and various local government units, including Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Carcar City, Argao, and Talisay.
For more information about PHITEX, please visit https://www.phitex.ph/.
