MANILA – The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) announced that the country's promotion efforts generated a record-high PHP11.3 billion in tourism sales leads last year, marking a 44.8 percent growth from 2023. TPB chief operating officer Maria Margarita Nograles attributed this success to the Marcos administration’s push for authentic and experiential travel in the Philippines.
"Last year, we hit our biggest sales leads ever in the agency at PHP11.3 billion just from our trade shows. So, this year, what we would like to do is really craft unique and world-class experiences and authentic experiences into the Philippines—that is our focus," Nograles said during the TPB Pasasalamat in Intramuros on Monday.
The TPB, responsible for promoting the country's 13 key tourist markets, has seen increasing global interest in the Philippines. Nograles emphasized the importance of enhancing their presence at the Arabian Travel Mart to attract more tourists from the Middle East. "We cannot lose presence in Dubai, at the Arabian Travel Mart, we cannot. So, we have budget, we will enhance our presence there," she said.
Besides participating in overseas trade shows, the TPB continues its domestic promotions through its community-based tourism program. Nograles assured that the TPB provides equal promotion efforts to all Philippine destinations, including the popular Boracay Island. "We are focused and following the direction of our secretary that we are to give equal promotions to all our destinations, and let us not forget Boracay is an award-winning island, so we continue on promoting Boracay," she added.
This year alone, the TPB generated PHP436 million in sales leads at the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2025 Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) held from January 15 to 17 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, representing an 8.38 percent increase from last year's participation.
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