10 November 2004 – The Philippine Embassy in The Hague reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that thirty seven Dutch and Filipino tour operators and travel agents in the Netherlands attended the Embassy-hosted Tourism Promotion Seminar on 04 November 2004.

With the report that the sales of Dutch-Filipino travel agents are no longer confined to the Filipino ethnic market, Ambassador Romeo Arguelles saw an opportunity to further promote Philippine tourism travel through this seminar.   “The presence of a good number of Dutch operators indicated that more Dutch tourists are getting interested in visiting the Philippines. The seminar serves as a good opportunity to educate and encourage travel agents in the Netherlands to further explore tourism opportunities in the Philippines,” Ambassador Arguelles said.

Mr. Ramon Enerio, Tourism Attache at the Philippine Embassy in Paris, was the main resource speaker. Three officials from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, including its sales manager in the Philippines, Mr. Joey Laurente, were also present in the seminar. Ambassador Arguelles is also optimistic that the recent expansion of KLM Airlines’ operations in the Philippines with non-stop direct flights between Amsterdam and Manila will boost the Philippine tourism industry. END