ILOILO CITY – This city is hosting the Central Philippines Tourism Expo (CPTEx) of the Department of Tourism (DOT) from June 16 to 18.
DOT-Western Visayas Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez said CPTEx is a pet project of DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco to strengthen the recovery of the country’s tourism industry after the pandemic.
The DOT and its stakeholders from six regions will converge at the Iloilo Convention Center for the three-day travel expo.
Around 2,000 delegates are coming from the host region of Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Easteran Visayas, Bicol region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon area), and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan area).
Rodriguez said the three-day travel expo will have a parade of festivals, business-to-business meetings, product presentations, cultural performances, travel exchanges, and the launching of “Bisita: Be My Guest” program.
The hosting of the CPTEx is backed by the Iloilo Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibits (MICE) Alliance, which the DOT launched in 2019.
Iloilo MICE Alliance President Joseph del Rosario, general manager of the Seda Hotel, said the tourism expo is a boost to the capacity of Iloilo as a MICE destination.