Manila Chronicles - 18th PTAA Travel and Tour Expo [18 Feb to 20 Feb 2011]

     The PTAA is currently holding its 18th Travel and Tour Expo at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia from 18 February 2011 to 20 February 2011.  Philippine Airlines is a sponsor (official carrier) for this event, and it is co-presented by the Department of Tourism.

     Here's a brief background of the event from the 18th Travel and Tour Expo website -

     The TravelTour Expo was conceptualized by PTAA in 1994 to showcase the products and services of its members. Since then, the show has evolved into a much awaited annual industry event covering practically all segments of the travel business, making it the biggest event for the travel and tourism industry. About 80,000 visitors were present in the 2010 edition which had 416 booths occupied by 230 firms.

     On its 18th year, TravelTour Expo is expanding to 4 halls, giving exhibitors more booths to choose from while offering visitors a wider variety of travel options. The 3-day event is scheduled on 18 to 20 February 2011 at Halls 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

     With the theme “Around the World in 3 Days”, the show aims to feature various hotspots in the Philippines and all over the world. Visitors can expect a glimpse of what awaits them in their chosen destinations while enjoying cultural presentations, souvenir items and discounted travel packages from the exhibitors.

Why join TravelTour Expo 2011?

• TravelTour Expo is the biggest event for the travel and tourism industry
• TravelTour Expo offers you an expanded customer base
• TravelTour Expo is the ultimate destination for the best travel deals
• TravelTour Expo is the prime marketplace for your destinations
• TravelTour Expo is continuously doing its best to bring you a special show every year!

Date:
18 to 20 February 2011

Venue:
SMX Convention Center Halls 1, 2, 3 & 4,
Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City
Opening Hours:
18 February - Friday
10 AM - 9 PM
19 February - Saturday
10 AM - 9 PM
20 February - Sunday
10 AM - 7 PM
Ticket booths close 30 minutes before end of show hours

Accompanying Events:
Daily Raffle Draws, Entertainment & Games and Exhibitors' Presentations & more surprises

     Exhibitors in the Expo include: Star Cruises; Dragon Air; Etihad; Hawaiian Airlines; South African Airways, Philippine Airlines, Continental and American Airlines, among others.  Big-name travel agencies, like Panda, Rakso, Rajah, and Sparkle, to name a few, are likewise participating.  The tourism arm of Taiwan, Macau, Sabah, Palau, Thailand, India, and many more, have booths at the Expo.

     According to the Philippine Airlines website, they are offering up to 70% off in their international flights at the Expo. So, see you at the Expo!

Manila Chronicles: 19th PTAA Travel and Tour Expo

PAL's section.  Long lines.

     I went to the expo with my friends during lunch break.  There were a lot of people; it was almost suffocating.  It was also chaotic.  Of course, the bulk of people were crowding PAL and Cebu Pacific's booths.  Travel agencies selling Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok tours are teeming with people, too.  

     There are exhibitors from different agencies and some of the booths were really great.  Take Malaysia's replica of Christ Church from Melaka and rickshaw from Penang.  And Japan with cuteness overload which came with ladies in kimono plus a makeover booth courtesy of Majolica Majorca.  I've seen booths from Taiwan but all they're handing out are maps and directories of leisure farms.  Thailand has one, too, but it was simple.  However, just before we left, about 10 lady boys arrived, perhaps to stage a show.

     A couple of airlines have a photo wall and provide flight attendants' uniform you could wear while having your photo taken.  Very cute.  

They're trying on the flight attendants' uniforms.

Tea ceremony at Japan's booth.

Free makeover by Majolica Majorca

     The most rewarding part of the expo?  For me, it's collecting travel brochures from country to country.  Turkey has some excellent travel brochures in book form, Euro tours, too, in magazine form.  Some booths give away reusable shopping bags with the name of the participating booth of course.  

     We didn't stay long and we weren't able to booth-hop as we only have a very limited time.  Hope I could return tomorrow and visit all the booths.

Thoughts: PAL Slashes Fares to Selected Destinations Up to 70% Off On-Site the 19th Travel Tour Expo

ETA:  I went to the Expo and found out that the ticket prices being offered by PAL only cover the base fare.  Thus, it excludes surcharges and taxes.  For a round trip ticket to Manila-Delhi, PAL quoted us USD 472 (base fare plus taxes and surcharges) plus USD 30 for the travel tax.

     Lifted from PAL's website:

Promos at TravelTour Expo

Visit the Philippine Airlines booth at the 19th TravelTour Expo and enjoy great discount on domestic and international tickets. The Expo runs February 17-19, 2012 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

Promotional deals available during the TravelTour Expo:

•     Up to 70% off on airfares on selected domestic and regional routes
•     Up to 30% off on airfares on selected US/Canada routes
•     A chance to win round-trip tickets to Las Vegas
•     Other exciting surprises

These offers are only available at the Travel Expo site.

Visit philippineairlines.com/promos for other promos or call PAL Reservations in Manila: (02) 855-8888 for other inquiries. 

     Wondering which selected flights?  Domestic tickets will go as low as Php 555 and Php 777 one-way, depending on the destination and travel period, the farthest date being 15 August 2012.

     For regional and international flights, prices for roundtrip, economy class tickets are as follows:

•  US$30 to Bangkok and Singapore; 

• US$67 to Hong Kong, Macau and Saigon;

• US$117 to Delhi; US$327 to Melbourne and Sydney;

• US$337 to Honolulu; and

•  US$507 to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Vancouver

      I am actually interested with PAL's Delhi flights.  However, I am not sure if USD 117 is just for the base price exclusive of surcharges and taxes.  You see, it's around USD 360 for Delhi on surcharges and taxes alone, not including the Php 1620 travel tax.  I'd be really disappointed if USD 117 is just the base price.

     Anyway, the details can be found here:    

70% off on PAL tickets at Travel Expo

Up to 70 percent discount on selected domestic and international tickets is being offered by Philippine Airlines (PAL) exclusively at the 19th Travel Tour Expo 2012, to be held February 17-19 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

One way, domestic tickets will go as low as P777 to any PAL destination in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao for travel between February 21 to March 21, 2012; P1,000 to Luzon or Visayas and P2,000 to Mindanao for travel between March 22 to May 31, 2012; and P555 to Luzon or Visayas and P777 to Mindanao for travel between June 1 to August 15, 2012.

Meanwhile, roundtrip, economy class tickets will just be for US$30 to Bangkok and Singapore; US$67 to Hong Kong, Macau and Saigon; US$117 to Delhi; US$327 to Melbourne and Sydney; US$337 to Honolulu; and US$507 to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Vancouver.

Also, all Mabuhay Miles Y Flyer members get a 10% discount on domestic and regional tickets, except for Australia and Japan, upon presentation of their membership card at the PAL booth.

Fares are exclusive of government taxes, fees and surcharges. Booking and selling period is from 17-19 February 2012 only.

PAL is one of the major sponsors of the Travel Expo organized annually by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association in cooperation with the Department of Tourism.

Those purchasing the deeply discounted tickets also get a chance to win free regional and international tickets during a daily raffle.

Tickets purchased from the PAL booth or any participating travel agents entitle the passenger to a raffle coupon. Three (3) winners will be drawn daily from February 17 to 19 at the PAL booth.

Prizes may be claimed at PAL's Advertising & Promotions office, PNB Financial Center, Diosdado Macapagal Ave., Pasay City, upon presentation of the PAL e-ticket and raffle coupon.

The annual expo – dubbed the ultimate shopping destination for best travel deals – gets more than 60,000 visitors to the more than 450 booths from more than 200 companies.

This year's expo has the theme: 19th Travel Tour Expo: One Stop Shop to the World! 

Thoughts: 19th Travel Tour Expo 2012 [17 to 19 February 2012]

     Since I'm feeling lazy, I'll just lift the details of the country's biggest tour expo from the 19th Travel Tour Expo 2012 website:

The TravelTour Expo was conceptualized by PTAA in 1994 to showcase the products and services of its members. Since then, the show has evolved into a much awaited annual industry event covering practically all segments of the travel business, making it the biggest event for the travel and tourism industry. More than 60,000 travelers/visitors were present in the 2011 edition which had more than 450 booths occupied by more than 200 firms.

On its 19th year, TravelTour Expo will again cover 4 halls, giving exhibitors more booths to choose from while offering visitors a wider variety of travel options. The 3-day event is scheduled on 17 to 19 February 2011 at Halls 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

With the theme “19th TravelTour Expo: One Stop Shop To The World!”, the show will feature local and international destinations, cultural presentations and discounted travel packages from the exhibitors.

Why join TravelTour Expo 2012?

    TravelTour Expo is the biggest event for the travel and tourism industry

    TravelTour Expo offers you an expanded customer base

    TravelTour Expo is the ultimate destination for the best travel deals

    TravelTour Expo is the prime marketplace for your destinations

    TravelTour Expo is continuously doing its best to bring you a special show every year!

Date:

17 to 19 February 2012

Venue:

SMX Convention Center Halls 1, 2, 3 & 4,

Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

Opening Hours:

17 February - Friday

10 AM - 9 PM

18 February - Saturday

10 AM - 9 PM

19 February - Sunday

10 AM - 7 PM

Ticket booths close 30 minutes before end of show hours

Accompanying Events:

Entertainment, Games, Exhibitors' Presentations & more surprises