19th Philippine Travel Mart

The much-anticipated 19th Annual Philippine Travel Mart is gearing up to showcase the country’s wild side.

With the theme “Triple X: Xtreme Adventure, Xtreme Wellness and Xtreme Leisure in the Philippines, ” the travel fair will run from September 12 to 14 at SM Megamall’s Mega Trade Hall. It will feature packages that highlight a different kind of Philippines to take you away from the beachside lounge chair and off to the rush of your life—on the surf, on a raft, on a sail, on a hanging bridge, or off to the jungles in search for some of the world’s rarest birds.

Organized by the Philippine Tour Operations Association in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, the yearly three-day Travel Mart is the country’s largest travel fair and features showcase pavilions of the regional tourism offices, tour operators, hotels, airlines and transport services, plus other usual stakeholders of the local travel industry.

This year’s theme coincides with the Department of Tourism’s new focus on adventure travel, and both highlight the travel public’s growing taste for extreme rush and recreation.

On its 19th year, the Philippine Travel Mart continues to help boost the tourism sector and shape local travel habits. For this year, the Department of Tourism, Region V will showcase the extreme splendor of the Province of Sorsogon: the singularly exciting, high adventure Whale Shark or Butanding Interaction activity off the waters of Donsol, Pilar, Castilla, Magallanes, and Bacon District of Sorsogon City; a rare nature-commune at the Mt. Bulusan Natural Park and its mystical Bulusan Mountain Lake Resort, with its exotic flora and fauna; the province’s magnificently colorful dive sites and marine sanctuaries; mysterious caves with interesting folk legends to explore; hot springs and healing mineral water spas to soak in, relax and unwind; the picturesque little islands within Sorsogon Bay and off Matnog, offering fine white, black or pink sand beaches; the historical landmarks, including old churches, ancient houses and monuments, historic ruins of baluartes, murallas, and astilleros or ancient shipyards; and local arts and crafts.