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Consul Maria Sheila Monedero-Arnesto (8th from the R – standing) attended the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Holiday and Travel Expo, together with the presence of esteemed figures including Mrs. Gianna Hsu, Chairperson of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong; Mr. Zhou Quanlin, Secretary-General of the Shenzhen Tourism Association; Ms. Vivian Sum, Commissioner for Tourism; Mr. Dane Cheng, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board; Mr. Carl Wong, Chairman of the Exhibition Group; members of the consular corps; and other VIP guests. (Exhibition Group photo)
 
Hong Kong, 26 February 2024 — The Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong participated in the promotion of the Philippines as a world-class tourism destination at the Hong Kong Holiday and Travel Expo 2024, held from 22 to 25 February 2024, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).
Expo 2024 is organized by the Exhibition Group, the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Council and the Shenzhen Tourism Association. It boasted of more than 300 institutions presenting a plethora of tourism products and services to meet the keen demands of the public.
Showcasing Filipino culture and identity, the Philippine Consulate booth captured the attention of visitors through a bright display of Philippine traditional costumes, textiles, jeepney, MassKara festival masks, and promotional tourism videos and brochures.
The Philippines’ engagement in Expo 2024 was further enhanced by the dynamic and outstanding performance of Star Pinoy HK. Star Pinoy HK is a FilCom organization in Hong Kong. They performed “Pintados de Passi Festival,” a cultural and historical festival which originated from Iloilo.
The Consulate’s booth utilized the “Love the Philippines” slogan, encouraged the use of PHTravel App, and promoted the “Bisita, Be My Guest” to interested parties.
The Consulate’s booth also featured airline companies providing direct flights from Hong Kong to various destinations in the Philippines, specifically Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Philippines AirAsia and Royal Air Philippines.
The Philippine participation in Expo 2024 served as an effective preview of various tourism destinations in the Philippines. It featured festival events, beach resorts, cruise, golf courses, national parks, scuba diving sites, hiking/trekking, urban attractions, yachting marinas, and national ecotourism sites.
The Philippine Consulate used the event as an opportunity to network with members of the consular corps, business community and tourism industry stakeholders to promote the Philippines as an ideal destination for world-class gastronomy, travel and cultural experiences. Beaches and islands were the top choice of visitors as features they love most about the Philippines, according to the Consulate’s survey.
In 2023, the Philippines welcomed 80,512 tourists from Hong Kong, making it the Philippines’ 11th source of tourist arrivals. With the normalization of cross-border travel in the global post-pandemic era, the Philippines aspires to be a tourism powerhouse in Asia.
Consul Maria Sheila Monedero-Arnesto, Vice Consul Allan Revote and Philippine Airlines (PAL) Regional Head for Greater China Joe Kwok discussed matters of mutual interest between the Philippines and PAL.
Consul Maria Sheila Monedero-Arnesto and Vice Consul Allan Revote (R) with AirAsia Hong Kong Representatives– Mr. Terence So (center), Head of Marketing (HK& Macau), Ms. Iris Chit (2nd to L), Assistant Manager, Marketing (HK & Macau) and Ms. Lin, Marketing (Shenzhen).
 
Consul Maria Sheila Monedero-Arnesto (L) and Vice Consul Allan Revote (R) being interviewed by the Exhibition Group Press Team to discuss the advantages of having an in-person event instead of online promotion and to promote the Philippines by showcasing its travel brochures to various destinations of the country, respectively.
 
Vice Consul Allan Revote promotes the Philippine tourism, arts and culture to an expo visitor.
 
Along with the promotion of “Bisita, Be My Guest” (BBMG) program, Attaches Chealsie Punzalan (L) and Leah Mejia (R) gather votes from the expo visitors on the feature they love most about the Philippines (i.e. Beaches/Islands, Food, People, Arts/History/Culture, Business Opportunities/Investments.)
 
The delighted visitors of the Consulate’s booth enthusiastically pose with the colorful Philippine jeepney decoration and traditional costumes
 
Star Pinoy HK, a FilCom organization in Hong Kong, performed an outstanding cultural performance of “Pintados de Passi Festival”.
 
Philippine Consulate booth featuring airline companies with direct flights from Hong Kong to the Philippines (i.e. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Philippines Airasia, Royal Air Philippines)