The Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2022 tallied a record-breaking PHP 172,602,851.00 business sales leads in just two days, according to data from the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism.

The said amount is based on the initial submission of negotiated sales of Philippine sellers physically present at the event from October 19 to 20, 2022 surpassing sales reports of pre-pandemic editions when it lodged 94.8 million in 2018, and P46 million in 2019. In its hybrid format in 2020 and 2021, sales leads from the PHITEX aggregated to P43 Million and P69 million, respectively.

Now on its 21st year, the PHITEX is the biggest government-led travel trade event in the country organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines.

“The impressive turnout of buyers and sellers, and the record-breaking numbers encapsulate the positive outlook for our country and growing interest in our destinations. As we embark in an aggressive campaign to revive our tourism industry and roll-out never seen before projects that will facilitate an enhanced connectivity into and around the Philippines, and provide a more convenient and seamless travel experience for guests, we anticipate more interest from local and international tourism stakeholders,” shared Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, who sits as the chairperson of the TPB.

“President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has reiterated the tourism industry’s crucial role as an important economic development tool and this initiative is an avenue which can facilitate the creation of more employment opportunities and livelihoods for our countrymen”, the tourism chief added.
This year’s PHITEX was conducted in a hybrid format with international buyers and local sellers participating in on-site business-to-business meetings held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom and online via a virtual platform.

Out of the 116 total number of buyers representing 32 countries, 53 were physically present and 63 participated virtually. The negotiated sales were computed from the seller’s sales leads reports for both confirmed and pencil-booked sales.

Meanwhile, 80% of the international buyers present will be traveling to six post-event tour circuits: Cebu-Bohol, Negros Oriental-Siquijor, Ilocos, CALABARZON, Davao, and Metro Manila. Aside from experiencing the newly developed circuits, the buyers will also be joined by Philippine tourism stakeholders in a series of networking nights to further expand the business opportunities offered by PHITEX. The virtual business meetings will continue on October 26-28 and more sales leads reports will be submitted after the completion of the event.

TPB chief operating officer Margarita Nograles exclaimed, “We are so proud of the collective efforts of our TPB team, our partners and sponsors, our stakeholders and our suppliers who mounted this successful event. This is the biggest negotiated sales generated by PHITEX in all its years and we are seeing more leads coming in. Secretary Frasco has always emphasized the importance and opportunity in equitably promoting all our regions and not just our popular destinations. This strategy has been proven effective as we brought the Regional Directors to be part of the B2B process, incorporated an exhibit of all the regions, invited weavers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and made sure that in our cultural shows, we integrated all regions in the visuals and live performances.”

PHITEX 2022 was organized in partnership with Philippine Airlines, and with the support of Globe Business, Primer Group of Companies, Destileria Limtuaco, Holiday Inn, Newport World Resorts, Hotel 101, Double Dragon, and San Miguel Brewery.