Philippines wins Island Charm Award at DRT Beijing 2025

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BEIJING, China — The Philippines made a strong impression at the Diving, Resort and Travel (DRT) Show Beijing 2025, securing more than PHP144 million in tourism sales leads and winning the Island Charm Award for its exceptional promotion of island tourism and scuba diving.

The DRT Show, held Aug. 8–10 at the China National Convention Center, was led by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines and the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT)–Beijing.

The Island Charm Award recognized the significant efforts of PDOT–Beijing and TPB in positioning the Philippines as a premier dive destination.

This was highlighted at the Philippine booth, which attracted numerous dive enthusiasts and travel agents through targeted business-to-business (B2B) sessions.

The delegation also delivered two well-received main stage talks: “Dive Bicol: Explore New Depths, Discover Endless Wonders” by Joseph Trilles, DOT Region V senior tourism operations officer, and “Philippines: The Heart of Asia’s Diving” by Ireneo Reyes, tourism attaché for PDOT–Beijing.

Both presentations showcased the diversity and appeal of the Philippines’ underwater attractions.

“DRT Show Beijing 2025 allowed us to connect with our Chinese dive market and promote the Philippines’ world-class dive experiences,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles.

“It was incredibly rewarding to engage in more partnerships and showcase the diverse experiences of our country.

“We are optimistic that this will strengthen our positioning in the Asia-Pacific market and encourage more visitors to explore the richness of our dive destinations.”

Among the event’s highlights was the Philippine Dive Night, a B2B networking session that brought together 50 Chinese dive operators, Philippine dive resorts and tourism stakeholders for exploratory discussions and partnership building.

Notable attendees included H.E. Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz of the Philippine Embassy in China; Deputy Chief of Mission Arnel Talisayon, Philippine Embassy Beijing; Jason Chong, founder of DRT Show; Richard Lim, China country manager of Philippine Airlines; Sam Ni, account executive of Cebu Pacific Air; Steven Hu, regional manager of PADI; Steffi Zhang, senior marketing manager of PADI; Victor Lorenzo Villanueva, third secretary and vice consul, Philippine Embassy Beijing; and Joriz Arielle Gonzales, third secretary and vice consul, Philippine Embassy Beijing.

The DRT Show is Asia’s largest international diving exhibition, bringing together diving enthusiasts and marine conservationists from across the globe.

This year, the Philippines is participating in DRT shows in Taiwan, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.