MANILA, Philippines - Springtime in Beijing? and tourists are flocking to the temples, palaces, shrines, squares, walls and gardens of this great ancient city. Even the Central Business District (CBD) is clogged with world travelers, from Bar Street to the shopping centers, particularly Pearl Market on Silk Street.

That was how it was last month, when three of us media representatives were invited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to participate in the China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market (COTTM). It was held for three days at China World Trade Center (CWTC), right at the center of CBD.

We arrived on a Sunday, April 13, and were warmly welcomed by tourism attaché Jazmin Esguerra and administrative officer Warren Palacio.

For over 30 minutes, our vehicles were stuck on the airport ramp. Someone explained a dignitary or head of state must be passing through, and in Beijing that meant a traffic standstill. Along the highway, specks of white floss were drifting in the air?we were jolted into thinking it might be snowing.

After a buffet lunch at Traders Hotel, we were billeted at Jinglun (of the Nikko Hotels chain) on Chang An Avenue, just a block away from CWTC.

We were well-attended by our persevering guide, Nanxing Liu, a young man who spoke French better than English, having stayed for three years in France where he took up his master?s degree in International Trade. He it was who explained the mystery of the drifting snow-like floss.

It comes from a certain tree, whether its leaf or its flower, and its appearance means spring has come. In fact, the day of our arrival was the first day it appeared, then it would disappear after two weeks. We were lucky, Nanxing said, as we surveyed an urban landscape of flowering peach, pear and plum trees.

Exotic destinations

Security check was stringent at the COTTM opening ceremony on Monday morning. Though unsmiling, the guards and ushers looked amiable enough as they received visitors from Europe, Africa, the Americas, and other parts of Asia. The international delegates were welcomed by a brass band in the hall.

Travel and tourism being the world?s largest industry, COTTM project director Matt Thompson in his speech acknowledged its fundamental importance to China?s economic growth.

?Indeed, the gross revenue for the Chinese tourism industry is increasing at an average annual rate of more than 12 percent,? he said, ?which is higher than the average growth rate of the Chinese economy.?

Just as important is the fact that ?Chinese outbound tourism peaked to an incredible 700-percent increase compared to the data of 10 years ago... This growth rate has now outpaced the average world travel.?

Thompson cited the figures as 40.9-million Chinese traveling abroad?and the number would continue to rise to 100 million by the year 2020. China is, without doubt, the largest outbound-travel market in Asia.

The COTTM information sheet cites these reasons: ?The economic boom has provided the Chinese with higher disposable income, and better diplomatic relations and relaxed travel regulations have given them more opportunities to travel to many foreign destinations.?

Now on its fourth year, COTTM is recognized as a premier event of its kind. ?For the past three years,? says the info sheet, ?it has been the prime business hub for tourist boards, travel agencies, hotel groups, spa resorts, car-rental companies and other tourism suppliers from across the world to enter this lucrative market.?

In two halls of CWTC were spread booths representing destinations as far afield as Azerbaijan and the Emirates, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Lithuania, Cyprus, the Canary Islands, even Bangladesh, Mozambique and, yes, Zimbabwe.

Some were churning out a gimmick or two to attract visitors and get a chunk of the market, such as the screening of Bollywood movies in front of India?s booth. A musical trio in costume performed Tagalog love songs at the Philippine booth.

Sickened tourists

In a casual conversation, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Catacumber Brady said our own tourism industry saw a 25-percent increase in four years since DOT Secretary Ace Durano adopted an aggressive approach.

As Beijing is in the interior of Mainland China, the DOT has focused on our beach resorts as come-on to travelers from this area. And since Beijing is a highly cosmopolitan place, the DOT is also highlighting our exoticas, such as our some 700 fiestas.

But too much exotica could be bad for one?s health, as shown by the buko experience of several Japanese on an incentive travel in the Philippines. Reportedly, after drinking coconut juice sold on a street in Manila, 30 out of the 500 tourists had to be hospitalized for bum stomachs.

?It was an isolated case,? said Brady. ?I?m from Quezon, so I know buko. Maybe it had been under the sun for too long, so fermentation had gone on. Or maybe they drank it on empty stomachs. It?s acidic, so naturally you?d get stomach upset.?

Incidents like that, of course, means one step backward in our tourism campaign. Brady believed it primarily depended on packaging. She suggested the DOT could as well open a slogan contest to produce come-ons such as ?Incredible India,? ?Amazing Thailand,? ?Uniquely Singapore.?

?Pambihira, even Maldives is on CNN?why couldn?t we do that?? she exclaimed.

That night, the DOT-Beijing people hosted a Chinese lauriat for the Philippine delegation at Xi He Ya Ju Restaurant, northeast of Ritan Park. It was a banquet distinguished by the alarming number of courses, and capped by fruit tidbits caramelized then immediately dipped in cold water just before being brought to the mouth.

Before and after dinner, we had fun bar-hopping while trying to catch Filipino band singer Chris Decena perform. We discovered a mysterious drink called Forbidden City, a chilled concoction of pineapple, passion fruit and tequila?refreshing, but not as good as our buko juice.

Excited travelers

The following day, dinner at Lufthansa Centre hosted by the same DOT people fell on a German holiday. We were indifferent to the throng surrounding us, as our poached rainbow trout went well with our dark lager.

On Wednesday, April 16, the Philippine Travel Conference was held in the Beijing Room of Kerry Centre Hotel on Guanghua Lu.

Maryann Ong, China manager of Blue Horizons Travel & Tours, talked on how to package Palawan tours. Sarina Chang, general manager of Jeron Travel & Tours, discussed how to package Cebu and Bohol tours. Richard Uy Lim, Philippine Airlines district manager for Beijing, made a presentation of the national airline?s routes.

The conference was enlivened by the Q&A portion with giveaways. We witnessed in disbelief how citizens of this superpower burbled in glee as they received their prizes of stuffed toys of tarsiers and butanding.

After the business-to-business sessions in the Pudong Room of the hotel, Ambassador Brady led the guests to the Kowloon Ballroom for the Philippine Dinner. She made a ceremonial toast, then invited everyone to the sumptuous buffet. Music was provided by Beijing-based Filipino band Mixed Emotions.

After dinner, prizes were raffled off, consisting of airline tickets and accommodations in our prime resorts such as El Nido, Dos Palmas, Panglao, Boracay. Again we could see the excitement and glee on the faces of the winners.

It is summer in our country, and the cool water of our beaches is welcoming the landlocked Chinese tourists.

But it?s still springtime in Beijing, and the countdown to the Summer Olympic Games has begun.