The recently concluded and highly successful Travel Sale Expo (TSE) made me reminisce about my trips to various countries in the world as I went around the Expo’s colorful booths, which offered all kinds of affordable tours.
Now in its second year, the TSE was hosted by the Global Tourism Business Association and One Klik Events, led by my friend, Michelle Taylan.
This year’s edition of TSE had more than 200 colorful booths that showcased the best, not only of our country but also of other countries in the Asia Pacific region. Braving the thick crowd during opening day, I made it a point to see what attractive tours to various countries were on sale; at the same time, I couldn’t help but recall my earlier visits to those destinations.
The alluring booth of the Guam Visitors Bureau brought me back to many decades ago when, as Country Manager of the Northwest Airlines GSA here in the country, I had to open an office in Agaña, downtown Guam, in preparation for the start of our scheduled flights between Japan and the island. I rented a condo there for several months until the new office was fully operational, handling passenger and cargo bookings.
Although Guam is a small island and one can drive around it in less than an hour, I never felt bored because it has so many interesting places to see. Two Lovers Point is an awesome lookout spot with a breathtaking panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the lush mountains on the other.
Of course, there are also the white-sand Ypao Beach and Tumon Beach, which were my favorite weekend destinations. One time, I took the Atlantis Submarine Tour, which put me up close to the island’s fascinating marine life. Almost every day, I would find myself at the Premier Outlets Mall, where branded luxury items were so temptingly affordable.
TSE also had the Malaysia booth, where I checked what new attractions the country had. I recalled the time I visited Kuala Lumpur with my eldest son. Our first destination was the famous Petronas Towers. It was only two blocks away from our hotel, so we spent many afternoons there, finding ways to get the best angle for a souvenir shot of the humongous towers in the background.
During that Malaysia visit, my son and I also drove to the very modern Putrajaya, a city south of Kuala Lumpur, which has the Putra Mosque made of rose-colored granite with a pink dome. The city also houses the Perdana Putra, the Prime Minister’s office complex, and the three-tiered Putra Bridge, copied from Iranian architecture with four minarets, overlooking the man-made Putrajaya Lake.
Poring over the items at the Vietnam booth reminded me of my many visits to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Northwest Airlines planned to start scheduled flights to either of these two cities. My counterpart from the airline’s Minneapolis headquarters and I made many visits to Vietnam, as we were trying to convince its government leaders to approve our airline’s application for landing rights in either of the two cities. Unfortunately, it took time for the government to decide, and our airline eventually gave up the plan.
But those Vietnam visits were not wasted, as I enjoyed every single one of them. I had the chance to see one of the famous Seven Wonders of Nature—Ha Long Bay, with its emerald waters and hundreds of towering limestone islands. I also made time to watch the entertainment feature that Vietnam is known for all over the world—the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. This famous cultural attraction depicts scenes from Vietnamese folklore, history, and daily life and originally started in the rice paddies and ponds of rural villages during festivals. It is now officially recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
I also made many visits to Ho Chi Minh City, originally named Saigon, where I enjoyed the savory street food, a cruise along the Mekong Delta, and exploring the exciting Cu Chi Tunnels. The latter is a very impressive underground network of tunnels in one district of Saigon, but it is part of a much larger network of tunnels under the entire country. The Viet Cong used it as their base of operations during the Vietnam War.
There were many other booths from other countries, but I could only talk about these three due to space limitations. Our Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) booth was also a part of the Travel Sale Expo, mainly to attract locals who would be interested in becoming marketers. These are individuals or companies that would help attract foreign retirees to make our country their new home. These marketers are given a hefty marketers fee for every referral they give to PRA, a feature that made our booth very popular.
Congratulations to GTBA and One Klik Events for the Travel Sale Expo’s resounding success. I certainly look forward to next year’s edition.
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
