The Philippine Travel Exchange (PhiTex) is an opportunity for Bohol tourism to showcase what it can offer once the tourism industry shall have reopened its doors. In short, the PhiTEX project is the avenue for Bohol tourism to shine.
During the press conference for the PhiTex event that took place on Sept. 16, 2020, Gov. Arthur Yap gave the participants an impressive presentation of how Bohol will protect itself from the threats of the coronavirus disease (Covid) as the province willopen its portals to visitors in an effort to revitalize the tourism industry here in the province.
The governor presented the protection system that includes contact tracing system, quarantine protocols and border control as witnessed by the Managing Editor and the News Editor of The Bohol Tribune who participated in the said virtual press conference together with 72 other participants.
In the virtual press conference, it was revealed that around 50 sellers will physically visit Bohol, particularly Panglao, the main host of the tourism trade fair.
This will be the first time when tourism package sellers and buyers will see first hand how the travel bubble and travel corridors will work. They will also see the craft of Bohol in handling the new normal tourism concept.
In a related development, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) chief operating officer (COO) lawyer Maria Antoinette Velasco-Allones said that the “hybrid platform” of the PhiTex will allow the tourism sellers and buyers to see for themselves how travel and tourism will evolve, metamorphose and blend in the new normal.
She said that the rest of the participants to the PhilEx, majority of whom are foreigners, will join virtually.
The tourism trade fair will run from Sept. 22 to 24, 2020 and the tours will be from Sept. 25 to 27, 2020. During this event, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is expected to arrive here in Bohol on Sept. 25, 2020, reports say.
Participants who will be physically present in Bohol will be subjected to a five-day quarantine. After the quarantine period, they will undergo the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before they could be allowed to participate in the different activities,
according to Provincial Administrator Kathyryn Pioquinto.
Lawuer Allones emphasized that with the PhiTex event, where some participants started arriving on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, it does not mean that Bohol tourism will be re-opening soon.
The Philex is sort of a “pre-selling” activity to give those who are interested in Philippine tourism, a glimpse of how things will shape go on once the tourism industry shall have been ready to re-open to travelers.
The Phitex event is an avenue “Para mapakita natin sa mga gustong magbyahe ano ba ang kinahaharap na challenges at excitement in the new normal,” Allones said.
Philex is the Philippine government’s largest annual tourism travel fair and the 2020 event is the 19th edition of the tourism trade fair.