MANILA, Philippines?There are Filipinos everywhere. Literally. And since we?re invading almost every shore on the planet, it would only make sense to invite others to our shores right? Enter the world renowned InternationaleTourismus Borse in Berlin, better known as the ITB-Berlin. I have never been to any sort of travel fair and I was duly assured that this was probably the biggest travel fair in the world which goes on for around four days each year. After a delayed flight from Amsterdam I, along with other members of the press and the Department of Tourism (DOT) found ourselves at the grounds of the sprawling ICC Berlin. The Philippine Booth located was right at the entrance of exhibit hall 29. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of the ITB-Berlin, there were 29 exhibit halls, each ?hall? was the size of a warehouse. No wonder this event had to last four days! Booths tried their best to entice people to come in and check out either the country, resort, airline (you name it) that was being featured. In the Philippine Booth there was a large screen that looped in videos of the country, with a running commentary in German, although everyone around could also speak English. The Philippines? private sector was represented as well I saw about 6 or 7 resorts and hotels, an airline and several travel agencies. They all had assigned spokespeople who worked really hard talking from morning ?til night with potential clients about their wares. The theme in general was Adventure Philippines, the brainchild of DOT Secretary Ace Durano. Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque who attended the ITB told me that many foreigners are looking for something different, something more adventurous. In my opinion our so-called ?disadvantages? like not too many high end resorts and sometimes rather improvised ways of transport in more remote parts of the Philippines are sometimes what international guests look for when they want to get away from it all. Getting around could be an adventure in itself or vacationing in a more rustic style can also be viewed as something ?different? for jetset travelers. This is not to say that we do not have our fair share of world class resorts and hotels but there are also those who hunger for something daring and new that they can?t get anywhere else.

More Interest Every Year

Verna Buensuceso, DOT?s Team Europe Coordinator, explained that every year, the Philippines? booth gets bigger and bigger, marking due to the in the private sectors wanting to take part in the fair.The DOT then provides them a venue in which they can showcase their particular ?product? to an international variety of people and companies. I had some time totake a stroll and I saw that creativity was high in the air since almost every booth had their own gimmicks or design to catch people?s attention. On our end,our booth was complimented by several musical numbers provided by the Bayanihan National Dance Company. Each number was met with applause as the crown slowly increased in size.AFter lunch or "merienda" time, passersby were treated to sample our ?dirty? ice cream from an authentic "sorbetes" cart. I overheard some of the sales pitches going around and what was common was; ?The Philippines is a prime destination because we have the sun, beaches, diving, mountains and great shopping? I?m sure it was also easy to wax poetic about the great bargains to be found in places like Greenhills, Divisoria and our ukay ukay stores. Hey, digging up hidden style treasures could definitely be described as an adventure. In spite of the chilly temperatures outside this didn?t deter the massive numbers that filled the halls inside. Because of the imagination and creativity that was put into the displays this travel fair seemed to transform curiosity into a makeshift museum. After closing time we were brought to dinner at a gorgeous restaurant in West Berlin called Duke (named after jazz legend Duke Ellington) by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin. The next day we would be off to London to witness another effort by the DOT via the London International Dive Show. Some of the more OCs in our group already adjusted their watches an hour ahead.

Dive Philippines

First things first, I was elated to see our Wow Philippines London style taxi. If you want strong branding in a foreign country nothing says it more attnetion getting than a moving vehicle. Tourism Attaché Domingo Enerio joked that the phrase was so well remembered that sometimes they got letters or invoices that started with ?Dear Wow Philippines?. The International Dive Show was held right outside of central London at the ExCel Exhibition Center, and was where all the top scuba diving gear suppliers (and everything related to it) were in attendance. This time the DOT?s thrust was in pushing the Philippines as a perfect location for underwater diversity. ?Dive Philippines is an easy ?sell?? intimated Verna, ?because there are a lot of dedicated divers who have been to the Philippines and have had such a great experience that word just spreads around.? Indeed there was a nonstop stream of people coming over from either the dive travel and trade industry or diving enthusiasts. It was also wonderful to see other booths that showcased the Philippines as dive destination; one of the top diving groups in the UK has brought in about 1000 members to dive in our waters every year, and the number is growing.

What is a Philippine type event without some food and fun times? Delicious typical Filipino fare like pansit was served to guests as well as San Miguel Beer during the evening. And wow, Philippines was definitely heard all around as crowds closed in on the buffet and the makeshift bar. Some even asked if there was ?Tanduay? (obviously they?ve had their fair share of local alcohol) and many said that aside from great diving they certainly enjoyed the partying that happened at the end of each dive in the selected resort. ?Still not safe to drink and dive ?(corny) cracked another guest. One of the members of a tour group in the Philippines joyously told me she had closed so many accounts that she couldn?t wait to start all over again the next day.

All in all, it was a great first experience seeing how strongly the country was being promoted in two of the biggest worldwide travel events. The DOT group was moving on to Scandinavia ( with reported temperatures of Arctic proportions) after London. No doubt they will warm that region up as well.