Winter Escapade 2018 brings joy to Canadian balikbayans

  • Page Views 3253
  • Winter Escapade is the annual tourism promotion program of Team Philippines-Canada, which offers an extraordinary visitor experience of Philippine destinations and exceptional hospitality.

    This year, the Department of Tourism (DOT)’s annual Winter Escapade – one of the agency’s most successful promotional programs in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs – has again brought hundreds of tourists, mostly balikbayans from the U.S. and Canada, to the Philippines.

    Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia said this year a total of 250 tourists, including Canadians and those from the U.S., have joined the 10-day tour with stops in the cities of Bacolod and Davao.

    Now on its fifth year, Winter Escapade has brought in over a thousand tourists, resulting in increased tourism revenues and investments, Garcia said in a report by the Philippine Star.

    Winter Escapade runs from February 3 to February 11.

    A total of 35 participants came from Vancouver, including ReyFort Media Group founder Rey Fortaleza.

    According to a breakdown provided by Fortaleza from the Philippines, Toronto has 48 participants in the tour; Ottawa, 18; Quebec, seven; Calgary, two; Halifax, two; and the U.S., 16.

    According to the Philippine Star report, DOT data show that the average expenditure of the Canadian tourists during their 10-day stay in the Philippines is Canadian $4,000 to $5,000 or a total of Canadian $1.046 million (P42.8 million).

    “In terms of presenting a good image of the country, this (Winter Escapade) is very important,” Garcia told The STAR during the welcome lunch for participants held at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros.

    “Sometimes we get bad reputation,” she said, referring to travel advisories issued by some countries against the Philippines due to peace and order.

    “If it’s a group (tour) organized by us, people are not afraid and word of mouth spreads that the Philippines is a good place to go,” she said.

    Garcia noted that the person who brought Canada’s Tim Hortons in the Philippines was a participant of the Winter Escapade last year.

    The envoy said aside from “good value,” Winter Escapade brings tourists to different places every year.

    Garcia said more Filipino-Canadians would like to join the annual tour to escape the cold February winter of Canada but they have to limit the number of participants due to lack of hotel rooms in some areas in the country.

    Click Photo Below To See Album

    Winter Escapade 2018 brings joy to Canadian balikbayans

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 21 March 2024
      7 days ago No comment

      Canada eyes space cooperation with Philippines

      The Philippines held its first space cooperation conference on March 19, 2024 as the country seeks to explore opportunities presented by the heavens. The conference was organized by the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute for Strategic and International Studies, a Metro Manila-based think-tank; the fledgling Philippine Space Agency; and ...

    • 14 March 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      Mable endorses campaign for Benson Flores marker

      Mable Elmore is supporting the campaign to raise funds for a memorial marker for pioneer immigrant Benson Flores. Elmore is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Vancouver-Kensington, which is also home to Mountain View Cemetery where Flores is buried in an unmarked grave. MLA Elmore ...

    • 07 March 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Quiboloy church linked to fake marriages in Canada

      Some 100 allegedly fraudulent marriages in Canada are connected to the religious group led by the spiritual adviser of now former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. This stunning allegation was made on March 5, 2024 by Dindo Maquiling, a former follower of Apollo Quiboloy. Maquiling is a former executive director ...

    • 07 March 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      MP Valdez Visits Vancouver

      Liberal MP Rechie Valdez visited Vancouver to meet with BC Business owners at the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA) Catering in Richmond recently. The meet and greet was an opportunity for local businesses to dialogue directly with Valdez whose portfolio includes small businesses. The roundtable discussion was led ...

    • 29 February 2024
      4 weeks ago No comment

      Minimum wage increases to $17.40 an hour on June 1 VICTORIA

      For Immediate Release Feb. 26, 2024 VICTORIA – B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024. This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023. The alternate minimum ...

    %d bloggers like this: