The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) sees up to a 25-percent growth in travel bookings this year, supported by the strong appetite among Filipinos to go on trips both domestic and foreign destinations.

In a press conference in Makati City Thursday, PTAA’s Travel Tour Expo 2024 chair Patria Chiong said the industry expects a 20 to 25-percent growth in terms of number of bookings this year from 2023’s figures.

Chiong said the booking level of travel agencies already surpassed the pre-pandemic levels.

The industry association is also optimistic that the 20 to 25-percent growth in bookings will continue to increase in the next years.

“What about the future? Of course, we are looking forward. It’s not only for this year, for next year but way beyond, and I am sure that all stakeholders for travel and tourism sector are positive that we will move forward, and there’s no way to go but up,” she said.

Chiong is also optimistic that the Philippines will exceed the target international visitor arrivals of 7.7 million this year.

PTAA vice president for outbound Evelyn Bondagjy said there has been a surge in foreign trips among Filipinos and this will likely continue this 2024.

Bondagjy said Filipinos are also emerging as one of the biggest travelers in Asia.

“The Philippines predominantly are young people. The working class, they also want to enjoy life. They want to see places. The education of travel is different from going to school or just doing other things here. When you travel, you see the world. It’s different,” she said.

Revenge travel after the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns and the offers from both the carriers and tour operators to make travel more affordable also supported the surge of Filipinos traveling abroad.

“Of course, all the other suppliers, airlines, and tour operators, it’s their chance now to recover all the losses of the lockdown during the pandemic,” Bondagjy added.

She said travelers tend to choose destinations that are affordable.

Bondagjy said there is a surge in the number of Filipinos travelling to Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, Türkiye, as well as Spain and Portugal in Europe.

Travel expo

Meanwhile, the PTAA will hold the 31st Travel Tour Expo and the 9th International Travel Trade Expo from Feb. 2 to 4 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

This will be PTAA’s biggest travel expo in history as it will host over 200 exhibitors with 704 booths that include airlines, domestic and international travel agencies and tour operators, hotels and resorts, cruise liners and shipping, and merchandisers, among others.

“Enthusiasts for travel and [those who want] to see different places once again are making for a buoyant travel industry, and we at PTAA are very much ready to cater to the demand,” PTAA president Evangeline Tankiang-Manotok said.

“We are pooling together our expertise under one roof to provide Filipino travelers with the best advice and make them realize that there are so many options for them. PTAA’s collective wisdom and many years of experience make this possible,” she added. (PNA)