The Philippine Embassy team on opening day. (Embassy Photo)
IZMIR 05 December 2021 — The Philippine Embassy in Turkey participated for the first time in the 15th Travel Turkey Izmir International Tourism Fair and Congress held on 02-04 December 2021 in Izmir, Turkey. Philippine Ambassador to Turkey, Maria Elena P. Algabre, led an Embassy team in mounting a booth that attracted hundreds of visitors/inquirers during the three-day event.
The booth was designed to promote the Philippines’ award-winning beaches and dive destinations. Visitors were attracted to the Philippine booth’s visuals, taking photos with the It’s More Fun in the Philippines photo frame against a backdrop of Panglao beach in Bohol.
Visitors having fun at the Philippine booth. (Embassy photo)
A video from the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), translated and dubbed in Turkish to cater to the local populace, was played on loop. Also on display were various brochures on the Philippines’ popular tourist spots, a general brochure on the Philippines in the Turkish language, and Philippine items such as pearls and capiz products. DOT’s It’s More Fun in the Philippines promotional cloth bags containing tourism brochures, and Philippine products such as Oishi snack foods and Manzy calamansi juices, were distributed.
Visitors having fun at the Philippine booth. (Embassy photo)
The visuals fascinated casual visitors to the booth and led to inquiries from travelers, honeymooners, tour operators, travel writers, social media influencers and university students, all wishing to learn more about the Philippines’ popular tourism destinations. To add to the festivities, a group of seven ladies from the Filipino community in Izmir performed the Malong, a traditional folk dance from the indigenous Filipino tribe known as the Maranaos, on the last day of the fair.
Ladies from the Filipino community in Izmir perform the Malong dance. (Embassy Photo)
The Philippine Embassy’s participation in the 15th Travel Turkey Izmir received ample and generous support from the Philippine Department of Tourism, Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)-Paris, Liwayway Marketing Corporation for the Oishi products, and Soyuz Food International Inc. for the Manzy calamansi juices.
(L) Ambassador Algabre with Travel book writer, Ms. Yaprak Gurdal, author of “Kalbimdeki Uzak Doğu” (Far East in My Heart) with a chapter on her visit to the Philippines. (R) The Philippine booth. (Embassy Photos)
Travel Turkey Izmir is the second largest travel exhibition in Turkey bringing together tourism professionals from all over the world for networking and B2B opportunities. The 15th Travel Turkey Izmir International Tourism Fair and Congress featured 200 exhibitors and drew thousands of guests. END
