The Mindanao Tourism Expo (MTEx) officially opened its doors on Friday, October 17, at the Dipolog City Sunset Boulevard, putting the spotlight on the finest destinations, local products, and culinary delights from across the Philippines.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the opening ceremony, emphasizing the event’s crucial role in strengthening interregional ties to elevate Philippine tourism on the global stage.
“MTEx is not only about Mindanao, but also a gathering of our stakeholders from Luzon and Visayas for all of you to meet and celebrate, discover, and work together towards ensuring that the world gets to know the richness of our nation,” Secretary Frasco stated.
The three-day expo, held in conjunction with the Zamboanga Peninsula leg of the Philippine Experience Program (PEP) Validation Trip, features a vibrant and diverse collection of booths from all 18 regions of the country, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The host city, Dipolog, and the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) One Town, One Product (OTOP) shop also have dedicated displays.
Each regional booth serves as a collective showcase of key destinations, cultural highlights, and local products, actively promoting sustainable tourism and providing direct support to local artisans and entrepreneurs.
MTEx is designed to bring the country’s diverse tourism offerings together under a single venue, fostering inclusive growth and bridging regional differences. Beyond the public exhibit, the expo includes dedicated business-to-business networking sessions to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange, encouraging robust partnerships among government, private sector, and community tourism stakeholders.
The MTEx is an annual event organized to promote tourism, local products, and cultural diversity in Mindanao and the entire Philippines, serving as a platform for interregional tourism collaboration and market promotion.
