TravTalk India Online Magazine
Be it shopping, nightline, food, beaches, fun and frolic, The Philippines just has an appropriate mix of everything that Indian travellers look forward to during a holiday. Lauding the smooth conduct of Focus Philippines, the travel trade opines on the myriad offerings of the destination.
Kanchan Nath from Goa
Mahendra Vakharia, President, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI)
Focus Philippines reinforces the importance of promoting bilateral networking opportunities between the two destinations. These events always provide an opportunity to update our knowledge and understand if there is a new product in the market which could be further used for marketing to clients. Agents not only networked with old clientele and friends but were always on the lookout for newer opportunities. It’s indeed more fun in the Philippines when you send your clients there.
Guldeep Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Tours & Travels
Collectively, there have been some very good sessions between the tour operators and the stakeholders with a healthy exchange of knowledge. The people from the Philippines got to know our interests and requirements. Philippines is a destination that offers everything to families and people who like fun. The country is abundant with casinos, lakes, rivers, volcanoes and beaches. Most of the Indians, while travelling, find themselves comfortable in an English-speaking country. Philippines caters to most Indians’ needs of good food and shopping. I think Goa is a beautiful place to interact and gain knowledge in the best possible way.
Nagsri Prasad Sashidhar, Head—Outbound Holidays, Mercury Travels
Focus Philippines is important because the word ‘focus’ is what we need to really focus on. To make any event successful, a great deal of focus is required. An event like this, which is a break away from your usual monotony, is of utmost importance. Everyone of us who are here are focusing on only one aspect – to make Philippines a success story. Philippines has just about everything that the Indian audience really wants, be it shopping, nightline, food, the fun and frolic and the beaches. So, my tagline for anyone who wants a wholesome holiday would be, “Why not the Philippines?
Sujit Nair, Founder & Group Managing Director, Akquasun Group
Focus Philippines offers a mix of segments with MiCE and leisure players from across India. The event is an excellent platform to get insights into the Philippines. The country is beyond exploring Manila and Boracay to Bohol, Palawan and other lesser known destinations. Philippines is a destination where you get everything – nightlife, entertainment, food and various other activities. I highly recommend our agent fraternity to do MiCE movements in Manila.
Riaz Munshi, Managing Director, N Chirag Travels
The event has been great for networking that also offered the latest information on different tourism products of the Philippines. Agents are motivated to sell the destination and suppliers got an opportunity to interact with agents to understand the Indian market’s requirements. The Philippines is undoubtedly the perfect destination for the Indian market as there is no language barrier, no transportation issue and ample opportunities for shopping and nightlife.
Daren Memon, Assistant Sales Manager, Thomas Cook India
Everything at Focus Philippines was taken care of with detailed attention – right from hotels to the airlines. We met with relevant stakeholders to understand the destination well. Honestly, we had no idea about the vast range of offerings in the Philippines. The country’s potential is unparalleled. Bohol is just a day trip from Cebu. Similarly, El Nido on Palawan island is another emerging destination. With a lot of information and knowledge from this place, I am confident I will be able to pitch this destination well.
Naveen Kundu, Founder & Managing Director, Leisure Corp
When I saw the presentations on all the islands, I was enlightened to know that the Philippines had so much to offer. The sessions, time-slots and the manner in which all the meetings have been planned and scheduled were fantastic. When I am going to do a next MiCE session for my corporates, I am going to plan something similar. The Indian MiCE market is projected to be the largest MiCE market by 2020. I feel that Philippines Airlines has to introduce good fares so that we can sell the destination better.
Manoj Bhadola, COO, Worldwide Tour Services
Philippines is a beautiful upcoming destination, especially when the Philippines Airlines introduces a direct flight to Delhi. With a unique flavour and character, I am confident that tourism is going to boom in the Philippines. We had some very good suppliers and informative sessions at the event. All logistics and transfer were very well-organised.
Vikas Khanduri, CEO, Holiday Merchants
The way Philippines has created the paperwork for creating an ease for the invitee is absolutely delightful. Currently, we have a via point to reach the country. The destination is an experience in itself. Between Port to Princesa and Boracay, one can go through three UNESCO sites. Manila has convention centres which are next to the best in the world and best accommodates small groups up to 50 passengers. A new and emerging trend among Indians is one of experiential travel and Philippines is perfect for such travel.
Prashant Kumar Kothari, Director, Good Earth Travel Group
Philippines is an upcoming destination for which there is a lot of inquisitiveness. Manila in the Philippines has a lot of potential for MiCE. The meetings were great as we formed good one-to-one rapport with a lot of suppliers, hoteliers along with exchange of information. For me, it’s a very new upcoming MiCE destination; so it is a lot of value to me.
SMA Sheeraz, Director, Sheeraz Tours
Manilla is one of the best cities for shopping, MiCE incentive groups, casinos, nightlife and everything related to tourism. Different DMCs and hoteliers here are from the Philippines; so the meetings have been very productive. We have gained a lot of information about the destination.
Ranjana Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, Trav N Tours International
As a maiden event in Goa for the Philippines, it justifies the tagline that it is more fun in the Philippines. The one-on-one meetings were very well planned as they provided deep insights about the destination and the upcoming tourist attractions. Philippines has been doing really well in the Indian market. I think in 2017, approximately 170,000 people have travelled from India to
the Philippines.
Manoj Saraf, Managing Director, Gainwell Enterprises
When you have something arranged like this in a place like Goa, there is bound to be a focus on the destination. That is precisely what is happening – for 48 hours straight we were all thinking, breathing and talking about Philippines. In a show where there are 20 suppliers, you tend to focus on each and every supplier. They remain etched in your memory, therefore chances are business will happen. If an event is being held in Goa, you are working as well as enjoying.
Neera Chaturvedi, Senior Manager—Products & Contracting-FIT, Cox & Kings
Philippines is an upcoming destination in the Indian market. Beyond promoting Manila, Boracay and Cebu, we need to lay more emphasis on providing exposure to destinations like Palawan, Bohol in the Philippines. The event was very informative and we are very confident selling Philippines actively now. The arrangement was excellent and we are more confident and positive about the destination now.
