![Officials of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) pay a call to City Mayor Rolando Uy on Saturday, March 2, to discuss the first ever PTAA TravelTour Expo Visayas Edition that will be held in Cagayan de Oro, July 19-21, this year. [Photo by Kim Zaldivar/CIO]](https://www.themindanaotoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/National-12.jpg)
Officials of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) pay a call to City Mayor Rolando Uy on Saturday, March 2, to discuss the first ever PTAA TravelTour Expo Visayas Edition that will be held in Cagayan de Oro, July 19-21, this year. [Photo by Kim Zaldivar/CIO]
MindanaoToday.com | CdeO to host Vismin TravelTour Expo 2024
By: Uriel Quilinguing
For the first time, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association’s (PTAA) TravelTour Expo (PTAA-TTE) will be held outside Manila. It has chosen Cagayan de Oro to host its PTAA-TTE VisMin Edition on July 19-21.
“Cagayan de Oro is strategically located,” said Evangeline Manotok, president of the over 400-member strong PTAA, after announcing on Saturday, March 2, to a gathering of bloggers that they’re bringing TTE to Cagayan de Oro.
Exposition booths for travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, and allied PTAA-accredited firms in Visayas and Mindanao will be at the Atrium of Limketkai Center’s mall. Those based in Metro Manila and Luzon are excluded.
Manotok, who is also the organizing committee chair of the TTE VisMin Edition, said they want to put the spotlight on Cagayan de Oro because it is an emerging market for international travel and tourism in Mindanao, Philippines.
This, she said, is an opportunity for a new beginning in Cagayan de Oro tourism and the rest of Northern Mindanao region which consists of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental provinces.
Evelyn Bondagjy, PTAA vice president for outbound, said their allied members include airline and cruise ship companies and that they are in discussions who can first bring an international carrier to fly out from Cagayan de Oro.
Bondagjy said they have been facilitating pilgrimage trips of Muslims, mostly from Mindanao, for the annual hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. They are considering the possibility of direct flights from any of the hubs in Mindanao to their destinations and return flights.
Two years ago, there were return domestic flights of Muslim pilgrims that went directly to Mindanao airports.
Tito Mora, co-chairperson of the TTE VisMin Edition organizing body, said direct flights from Cagayan de Oro through the Laguindingan Airport to Hong Kong has already been proposed to the DoTr.
Jerome dela Fuente, Limketkai Luxe Hotel general manager, confirmed this and that they are trying to convince DoTr to expedite the Cagayan de Oro-Hong Kong direct flight plan though a Davao-Hong Kong route is also a possibility.
The PTAA launched the TTE in 1993 and since it was held annually for its members to market their products, including discounted travel deals. (MT)
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