CEBU CITY – TravelCare celebrated its second-year anniversary amidst the challenges posed by a typhoon in a “Tourism Stakeholders’ Gala Night” on November 5 at the Grand Ballroom of bai Hotel Cebu, emphasizing the importance of resilience and collaboration, highlighting the partnership between Philippine and Austrian tourism to showcase the beauty of the Philippines to the world.
“TravelCare is celebrating its second anniversary and the Tourism Stakeholders’ Gala is a significant gathering because it’s more of appreciating our tourism partners and stakeholders, especially that our partner from Austria, Matthias Stelzmuller is here. This is a good time for us to share such collaboration between the Philippine tourism and Vienna Austria’s tourism,” said Sunshine Lim, TravelCare proprietor.
Lim said that the gathering of tourism stakeholders in Cebu, highlighted the second anniversary of TravelCare, a tourism management initiative of Santo Niño Mactan Montessori School (SNMMS), emphasizing resilience and gratitude to partners and collaborators, including Eva Air, for its support for over two years now.
TravelCare has achieved milestones such as educational tours in Taiwan and Bohol, family tours in Korea and Japan, and placed second in the Eva Air Marathon in Taiwan. TravelCare handled a lot of businesses, actively organizing educational tours, individual tourism, and sales missions, including a successful mission to Taiwan, Lim added.
“Now we are looking forward that we can do the same in Austria. The collaboration with Austria and Germany is seen as a significant opportunity to boost tourism,” Lim also announced that this new partnership with Austria and a donation of P100,000 to typhoon victims underscored the importance of service and community support.
The Philippine-Austria Tourism partnership
According to Lim that the main purpose of the Tourism Stakeholders’ Gala event was to launch the partnership, foster and explore tourism collaboration opportunities and promote sustainable tourism initiatives between Austria and the Philippines with the main guest, Austrian Tourism Advocate, Matthias Stelzmüller
“Yeah, I think it would be a fantastic mission to showcase the beauty of the Philippines together in Austria and Germany and the Central European countries, because honestly, I’ve seen what the Philippines have to offer, and it is so much, and I think it has to be shown especially to our people, so that we have a lot of tourists coming here in the next years,” Stelzmuller said and invited the audience to be part of the TravelCare journey.
Stelzmuller praised TravelCare’s European-style organization and efficiency, and mentioned additional collaborations with Eva Air, Austrian headquarter, and European travel agencies, as well as his role in travel journalism to promote the Philippines.
He said that this event is seen as an opportunity to appreciate tourism partners and stakeholders and expressed his pride in being an advocate for TravelCare and shares his positive experiences in the Philippines. Stelzmuller is recognized as “athlete with a heart” for using his platform for social good through his project, Skate the World.
The initiative, which began in Cebu Lapu Lapu City in partnership with SNMMS, empowers Filipino youth through skating, promoting values like discipline, friendship, and hope, aligning with the broader goals of social good.
Great potential for PH-Austria cultural/travel exchanges
At the Q and A portion of the event, Stelzmuller discussed the unique aspects of the Philippines as a travel destination, highlighting its natural beauty, rich culture, and exceptional hospitality. He praised the Filipino people’s friendliness and the country’s potential for partnerships with Austria.
He emphasized the importance of showcasing Filipino culture globally and the need for a balanced approach to tourism to avoid over-tourism. He also praised the hospitable nature of the Filipinos and their ability to smile despite challenges.
Stelzmuller described the local tourism scene, including hotels, service, and people and expressed admiration for the Filipino hospitality and service quality. He also mentioned plans for an Austrian trip to foster cultural exchange and the potential for direct partnerships between Austrian and Filipino hotels or travel agencies.
“We would like explore the potential for adventure tourism, sports camps, and purpose-driven travel in the Philippines. Together with TravelCare, we are planning for an Austrian trip to connect Filipino and Austrian tourism stakeholders,” he said.
Stelzmuller believed that both cultures have much to offer each other, emphasizing the mutual learning opportunities with Filipino tourism stakeholders to visit Austria to explore collaborations firsthand.
“We want to connect Filipino tourism stakeholders with Austrian tourism stakeholders because we see that there’s a lot of potential. What the Filipino or the Philippines has to offer is, I think, something that Austria and the countries around Austria are looking for, but they still maybe don’t know yet. So, we need to advertise it and showcase the beauty of the Philippines 100 percent,” Stelzmuller noted.
He believed that the future of travel in a digital world and how travelers will choose destinations may include three factors– emotion, adventure, and sustainability will play a role, with sustainability becoming increasingly important and the potential for adventure tourism in the Philippines, including survival camps and sports camps.
Stelzmuller highlighted the importance of focusing on high-value target groups for tourism and how media, film, or storytelling projects like Skate the World can support cultural exchange. He explained that his project’s goal is to showcase the world from a different perspective, encouraging people to choose the Philippines for their holidays.
“I appreciate the positive feedback and interest generated by my Skate the World tourism activities in the Philippines, and there is a need to balance between digital experiences and real-life adventures,” he said.
Stelzmuller also expected an increase in backpackers and slow travelers, with potential for adventure tourism and high-value target groups and the importance of purpose-driven travel and its potential impact on the Philippines.
