The on-going Riyadh Travel Fair will witness the Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) strengthen its initiative to proactively attract family travellers.

Verna Buensuceso, officer-in-charge, market development group, Philippines Department of Tourism said: “The event provides an excellent platform for Philippine tourism leaders to meet with Saudi travel industry professionals and general public to highlight attractions, fun, special events and value-added campaigns designed exclusively for Middle Eastern visitors.”

The Visit Philippines Year 2015 celebrations include a long list of special festivals and events that are based on a number of themes including: history and culture; lifestyle and entertainment; music and the arts; and sports, adventure and eco-tourism.

The Philippines Tourism delegation will also be visiting Dammam to conduct a series of presentations and meetings with travel agencies. The meetings will highlight special celebrations and campaigns that the Philippines has on offer.

The PDOT would like to focus on the ‘Kids Go Free Campaign 2015’ which has been designed exclusively for families (both nationals and expatriates).

As per statistics, a total of 76,163 visitors from the GCC visited the Philippines in 2014, resulting in a 10% increase compared to 2013 figures. Amongst those, number from Saudi Arabia was the highest at 43,483 travellers, which was an increase of 11.5% compared to the year before. Visitors from UAE were the next highest, followed by visitors from Kuwait.