Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco spearheads the opening of the first-ever North Luzon Travel Fair at SMX Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga today.
Running from November 18-20, the three-day travel fair will showcase the Philippines’ domestic tourism destinations, products, services, delicacies, gifts, and pasalubong items, cultural presentations from the northern side of the country, as well as presentations on tourism trends, business-to-business (B2B) networking, artisan demonstrations, interactive games, and raffle draws, to be culminated by the Hibla ng Lahi Fashion Show organized by the regions’ talented local designers.
In a collaborative effort to diversify the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) portfolio from traditional to a multidimensional one, its regional offices in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon, in partnership with the Alliance of Travel and Tour Agencies of Pampanga (ATTAP), joined forces to gather some 100 exhibitors and 30 sellers at the North Luzon Travel Fair.
With the overarching theme “Weaving our Way to Recovery”, Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said in her keynote message that the North Luzon Travel Fair is highly relevant to what the Department is doing to usher the tourism industry forward.
“The Philippines is open, the Philippines is ready to receive tourists and investments all over the world, and North Luzon is ready to lead the way and light up the Northern Philippines,” said Frasco as she addressed the jam-packed crowd at the SMX Convention Center in Clark.
During the event, Secretary Frasco likewise expressed her congratulations to North Luzon for logging 3.8 million visitors from both domestic and foreign tourists as of today, Nov. 18.
“And while recently we have reopened our country to international travel, I can see that we are well on our way to recovery because you are well on our way to the 9.6 million arrivals that you had in this side of the country prior to the pandemic,” she added.
Also present at the opening ceremony of the travel fair were Bases Conversion and Development Authority Chairman Delfin Lorenzana, Alliance of Travel and Tour Agencies of Pampanga (ATTAP) President Anna Pamela Guzman, DOT Undersecretaries Shahlimar Hofer Tamano and Verna Buensuceso, its regional directors, and industry stakeholders. (Department of Tourism-Philippines)
