Happy New Year, Super Folks! 2019, you're so colorful and super thanks for the great memories. Come on 2020, let me give you a big hug. Let's create beautiful stories too, with my family and friends. The last year reminds me of this cliché, "Time flies when you're having fun". Well, it was indeed a fun ride! First four months were bumpy, there were rough nights and hard days, and then latter half became better. Praise God! I don't wanna brag but traveling to many places in my country, the Philippines, from good to superb spots, always helps me to speed up time. You know what I mean? It helps me to forget my worries and simply enjoy life, without judgement and negative thoughts. It's a very effective hobby and already part of my life. Hopefully my next trip is around Southeast Asia. Malaysia or Brunei? Can I have both?
Like everybody, I'm still asking myself, is 2020 the start of a new decade? When does the decade end, 2020 or 2021? I guess it's the end but you know what? It doesn't really matter. As long as there are no intense calamities, crises and controversial cases, we're good. As long as everybody seems stable, we're cool. However, the world is so unpredictable and the life is so tough nowadays. Believe me or not, we need to be extra cautious, prepared, mentally aware and pray harder.
Moving on, do you have goals for this new year? What are those? Would you also like to travel? Perfect! You are in the right place. This new blog post is no longer about food and restaurant, it will be about "Exposition".
In short Expo, sometimes we call it exhibition or trade fair. According to Merriam-Webster, it's a public exhibition or show. Have you been to this kind of event before? It was last year when me and my colleague had a chance to attend the Philippines' longest-running travel trade exhibition, the Philippine Travel Mart at the SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
It was three straight days of primarily promoting the country's wow and more fun places like Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan, Boracay, Puerto Galera and Camiguin Island, ran from August 30 to September 1, 2019. I don't know if it was perfect timing or just by coincidence but either way, I really find myself lucky when we became unintentionally part of PTM's 30th Anniversary. Congratulations and cheers, to many more years!
We were on the last day of Expo and honestly, we weren't there to look for best travel deals. We were actually planning to start a travel agency and we thought it was part of our research. We were looking for a company that offers affordable Global Distribution System (GDS) or in layman's terms, a technology provider, but sadly, we didn't find one.
We're Tourism Management graduates and apart from being a true-blue Hodophiles, aka Travel Lovers, we would really love to be part of this industry again. We are very hopeful, up until now.
Someday, we'll be trusted Travel Agents and I feel like it could be everyone's dream job. Yes, there is stress but imagine the sweetest part, it's when we make money while traveling. It's perfectly imperfect.
Last year's theme was about "Fostering Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism" and organized by Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA).
Even though we didn't see what we're looking for, I can say, it was a nice experience. I felt like The Flash, we were able to visit interesting destinations in the Philippines in a short span of time. We had a chance to see a glimpse of Mindanao, or still commonly known as Southern Philippines, the second largest island in the Philippines and definitely other places too, like Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan, Cagayan Valley and Batanes.
Entrance fee was affordable. We only paid 50 PHP each, roughly 1 US Dollar.
There were cool and attractive booths from different cities, municipalities and provinces, showcasing their best attractions and native delicacies. BANGSAMORO, Tacloban City, SOCCSKSARGEN and Capture CAPIZ were exceptional.
There were also fun activities and freebies. We got a lot of travel brochures, fridge magnets and stickers. I super like the one from Intramuros booth. Naga's "Free Taste" ice cream was worth a try.
Additionally, we played game, watched Philippine folk dance and took a lot of photos from the event. Memories and souvenirs, so lovely! My workmate was lucky, she was able to exchange her ticket into a cute planner.
Cheap flights and travel packages, they were irresistible. Another reason why I went to Travel Mart was because of Canyon Cove's vouchers. I had to buy two for our "Family Short Vacation 2020". Worth 3500 PHP per night, roughly 69 USD and good for four adults each.
More details? Kindly read my separate blog post about it. As a Filipino traveler, I'm definitely looking forward to next year's Philippine Travel Mart and many more local exhibitions like this. It makes me smile. That's all for today Super Folks! Hope you're satisfied! My new blog post is almost done. See you there!
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