PHIDEX\u00a0EXPERIENCE<\/strong><\/h3>\nDespite the ongoing fight against COVID-19, the Department of Tourism\u00a0remains optimistic in taking bold steps to boost the tourism industry. Puyat emphasized in her opening remarks that the staff of all\u00a0tourist destinations in the country has participated in\u00a0a series of training, seminars, and unending protocol checks to ensure\u00a0the safety of tourists and locals. And\u00a0as\u00a0a part of a tourism masterplan to advocate the Philippines’ tourism here and abroad, the PHIDEX takes\u00a0the spotlight\u00a0to promote\u00a0the diving sector.<\/p>\n
Named as one of the best diving spots in the world, the Philippines marine diversity remains captivating, which\u00a0what PHIDEX wants to promote. The\u00a0three-day virtual expo (March 19-21<\/strong>) will feature not only the diving\u00a0spots in the\u00a0Philippines but\u00a0also the tourism and travel players that revolve around it.<\/p>\n\u201cAs the Philippines is known around the world for its diving destinations, it is truly important that we do everything we can to sustain the local diving industry. The latest recognition we received was from the 2020 World Travel Awards <\/em>which named the Philippines as the World\u2019s Leading Dive Destination. This year\u2019s PHIDEX is a step in the right direction to sustain our gains toward recovery, for all to enjoy the natural wonders our archipelago can provide,\u201d\u00a0Puyat said.<\/p>\nSome notable names confirmed for the event are California Academy of Sciences Curator Dr. Terry Gosliner<\/strong>, French-British underwater photographer Henley Spiers<\/strong>, Emmy Award-winning husband-and-wife documentary team Howard and Michele Hall<\/strong>, PADI Ambassador and PCSSD Commissioner Bo Mancao<\/strong>, University of the Philippines marine economist and community scientist Tara Abrina<\/strong>, and German underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich<\/strong>. Each speaker will be discussing in-depth topics relevant to the diving industry and the protection of the Philippine seas.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/03\/PHIDEX-KV-3-9.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Safe,\u00a0Sustainable, and Competitive Tourism<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlthough pandemic\u00a0hits the local diving industry and those who depend on it, this year\u2019s PHIDEX themed \u201cOur Sea, Our Story<\/strong>,\u201d aims to raise awareness and discuss solutions to accelerating the industry\u2019s recovery.\u00a0The tourism sector of the Philippines eyes not only to boost tourism, but also to have a sustainable and competitive one.<\/p>\nPuyat\u00a0with her strong conviction, seize the opportunity\u00a0of a pandemic to restart, recalibrate, and renew the tourism\u00a0in the Philippines. She mentioned that though the pandemic brought our tourism\u00a0industry to its knees, it gives leeway to heal our tourist destinations due to over-tourism. It was a wake-up call for everyone, especially for the DOT.\u00a0Like this\u00a0year’s theme Our Sea, Our Story, <\/em>the\u00a0<\/em>DOT advocates to change the narrative to have a\u00a0better and progressive tourism plan in the country.<\/p>\nThat’s why the expo caters to\u00a0all aspects of travel, in which there\u00a0are three-stages where\u00a0you can\u00a0dive-in.\u00a0The main stage, the expo stage, and the panel stage. Each stage focus on\u00a0different things such as the expo stage where\u00a0business to business or B2B can happen. The expo also serves as a space for divers and enthusiasts to purchase experiences and equipment from partners and exhibitors, as it will also have a virtual marketplace section called the Dive Travel Exchange or TRAVEX.<\/em><\/p>\nBEYOND VIRTUAL \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nOn her\u00a0ending note, Puyat reassures everyone that the DOT is working\u00a0rigorously\u00a0to provide alternative programs\u00a0to those who lose their job due to the pandemic. And the core of her tourism\u00a0advocacy\u00a0since the beginning is\u00a0responsible tourism. That’s why training and campaigns are being held left and right to ensure that both travel workers and tourists\u00a0are prepared to deal with the new normal. The virtual diving expo is an example that\u00a0maximized\u00a0the safety protocol wherein\u00a0everyone can explore and experience the event.<\/p>\n
Also, Puyat reminded everyone that\u00a0even though your result\u00a0is negative from the virus, it doesn’t give you a license\u00a0to neglect minimum safety protocol. She encouraged the public\u00a0to be responsible tourists!<\/p>\n
For more information and updates on the Philippine International Dive Expo, like PHIDEX on Facebook<\/a>, follow them on Instagram<\/a>, or visit their website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWritten by Cedie Salido\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Department of Tourism and the Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) invite everyone to dive in our sea exploration and be aware of our story. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,61,71],"tags":[3093,3100,3101,3102,3103,3104,3105,3106],"class_list":["post-14827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diving","category-sports","category-tourist-spot","tag-department-of-tourism","tag-tourism-secretary-bernadette-puyat","tag-philippine-international-dive-expo-phidex","tag-urator-dr-terry-gosliner","tag-henley-spiers","tag-howard-and-michele-hall","tag-bo-mancao","tag-tobias-friedrich"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14827"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14853,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14827\/revisions\/14853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cAs the Philippines is known around the world for its diving destinations, it is truly important that we do everything we can to sustain the local diving industry. The latest recognition we received was from the 2020 World Travel Awards <\/em>which named the Philippines as the World\u2019s Leading Dive Destination. This year\u2019s PHIDEX is a step in the right direction to sustain our gains toward recovery, for all to enjoy the natural wonders our archipelago can provide,\u201d\u00a0Puyat said.<\/p>\n Some notable names confirmed for the event are California Academy of Sciences Curator Dr. Terry Gosliner<\/strong>, French-British underwater photographer Henley Spiers<\/strong>, Emmy Award-winning husband-and-wife documentary team Howard and Michele Hall<\/strong>, PADI Ambassador and PCSSD Commissioner Bo Mancao<\/strong>, University of the Philippines marine economist and community scientist Tara Abrina<\/strong>, and German underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich<\/strong>. Each speaker will be discussing in-depth topics relevant to the diving industry and the protection of the Philippine seas.<\/p>\n Although pandemic\u00a0hits the local diving industry and those who depend on it, this year\u2019s PHIDEX themed \u201cOur Sea, Our Story<\/strong>,\u201d aims to raise awareness and discuss solutions to accelerating the industry\u2019s recovery.\u00a0The tourism sector of the Philippines eyes not only to boost tourism, but also to have a sustainable and competitive one.<\/p>\n Puyat\u00a0with her strong conviction, seize the opportunity\u00a0of a pandemic to restart, recalibrate, and renew the tourism\u00a0in the Philippines. She mentioned that though the pandemic brought our tourism\u00a0industry to its knees, it gives leeway to heal our tourist destinations due to over-tourism. It was a wake-up call for everyone, especially for the DOT.\u00a0Like this\u00a0year’s theme Our Sea, Our Story, <\/em>the\u00a0<\/em>DOT advocates to change the narrative to have a\u00a0better and progressive tourism plan in the country.<\/p>\n That’s why the expo caters to\u00a0all aspects of travel, in which there\u00a0are three-stages where\u00a0you can\u00a0dive-in.\u00a0The main stage, the expo stage, and the panel stage. Each stage focus on\u00a0different things such as the expo stage where\u00a0business to business or B2B can happen. The expo also serves as a space for divers and enthusiasts to purchase experiences and equipment from partners and exhibitors, as it will also have a virtual marketplace section called the Dive Travel Exchange or TRAVEX.<\/em><\/p>\n BEYOND VIRTUAL \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n On her\u00a0ending note, Puyat reassures everyone that the DOT is working\u00a0rigorously\u00a0to provide alternative programs\u00a0to those who lose their job due to the pandemic. And the core of her tourism\u00a0advocacy\u00a0since the beginning is\u00a0responsible tourism. That’s why training and campaigns are being held left and right to ensure that both travel workers and tourists\u00a0are prepared to deal with the new normal. The virtual diving expo is an example that\u00a0maximized\u00a0the safety protocol wherein\u00a0everyone can explore and experience the event.<\/p>\n Also, Puyat reminded everyone that\u00a0even though your result\u00a0is negative from the virus, it doesn’t give you a license\u00a0to neglect minimum safety protocol. She encouraged the public\u00a0to be responsible tourists!<\/p>\n For more information and updates on the Philippine International Dive Expo, like PHIDEX on Facebook<\/a>, follow them on Instagram<\/a>, or visit their website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Written by Cedie Salido\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Department of Tourism and the Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) invite everyone to dive in our sea exploration and be aware of our story. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,61,71],"tags":[3093,3100,3101,3102,3103,3104,3105,3106],"class_list":["post-14827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diving","category-sports","category-tourist-spot","tag-department-of-tourism","tag-tourism-secretary-bernadette-puyat","tag-philippine-international-dive-expo-phidex","tag-urator-dr-terry-gosliner","tag-henley-spiers","tag-howard-and-michele-hall","tag-bo-mancao","tag-tobias-friedrich"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14827"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14853,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14827\/revisions\/14853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n Safe,\u00a0Sustainable, and Competitive Tourism<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n