The North Luzon Travel Fair (NLTF) 2022 will take place from Nov. 18-20 at the SMX Clark Convention Center, Pampanga. This was announced Saturday in its media launch by the NLTF 2022 Working Committee, highlighting the fair’s regional booths.
The pilot project is the brainchild of the Department of Tourism CAR, Region I, Region II, and Region III and is co-organized with the Alliance of Travel and Tour Agencies of Pampanga (ATTAP). Other partners in support of the NLTF include the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB), Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Digital Out-of-Home Philippines (DOOH), and Philippine airlines as the event’s partner airline. It is managed by Total Exhibit and Expo Solutions.
The three-day event will be the first biggest and standout of its kind since the Philippines reopened its border, according to the NLTF.
The event is expected to attract more than 2,000 visitors daily with an estimated 100 exhibitors and 30 sellers inside the 1,786 square meters of SMX Convention Center (Standard 2×3 sqms.; Pavilion 36 sqms.) highlighting the best of what the north has to offer through a showcase of domestic tourism destinations, products, services, delicacies, gift and pasalubong items, as well as cultural presentations from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region (Region I), Cagayan Valley (Region II), and Central Luzon (Region III) which is bigger than the previous travel fairs.
Exhibitors include travel agencies, airlines, restaurants, health and wellness facilities, hotel and leisure facilities, theme parks and amusement centers, travel and tour operators and providers, tourism boards, Kapampangan food concessionaires, and other operators aiming to kickstart a recovery in global travel.
SMX Convention Center Clark is dubbed as the 2nd stand-alone convention center after SMX Manila. It is located beside Park Inn by Radisson Clark and boasts of a gross leasable space of more than 4,000 square meters of leasable space, comprising of two level event venues and a mezzanine floor for offices – 3 Halls, 3 Function Rooms, and 14 Meeting Rooms,”said Sales Manager Darlene Achumbre of SMX Clark Convention Center.
“The companies will be selling travel items such as plane tickets, tour packages, food and lodging vouchers, and tickets to shows and theme parks like Clark’s dinosaur island at discount prices and other promos,” said Gilda Padua, Chairperson, North Luzon Travel Fair 2022.
Padua also said in a speech that the Philippines is eager to welcome back foreign tourists after more than two years of border restrictions. She calls on tourism businesses to work with the government on expanding the Philippines’ tourism industry and promoting the country’s attractions.
The tourism industry was one of the hardest hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NLTF 2022 is focused with the theme: “Weaving Our Way to Recovery” amidst the coronavirus pandemic. It aims “to establish a common tourism promotion activity that explicitly align and unify the said activities and programs of the aforementioned regions creating a synergy to develop a robust tourism value chain by converging the domestic tourism products, destinations, and services across the regions to the local and international markets,” said Pamela Guzman
ATTAP President in her welcome speech.
The country’s main focus is “domestic tourism to support locals in both new and existing markets, to help the micro, small, and medium enterprises recover, thrive, and sustain their businesses for inclusive growth and recovery challenge as part of our commitment,” DOT Regional Director Carolina Uy – Region 3 explained.
Meanwhile, apart from the discounts and promos, free entry to the event will be given to everyone including medical professionals, firefighters and police officers, as a way to show gratitude for their efforts during the pandemic, it said.
The media launch was also attended by Senior Tourism Operations Officer Gay Marie Gapas representing Regional Director Joseph Francisco Ortega of DOT-Region 1, Regional Director Fanibeth Domingo – Region 2, Regional Director Carolina Uy – Region 3,
Atty. Carmina Fabros
Executive Director, SCAD and Ricky Manzano DOOH, PR & media officer.
Clark Freeport is poised to become the preferred MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and tourism destination in the Asia-Pacific region by 2030.