Cebu, Philippines, January 14, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / With less than two weeks to go, the ASEAN travel industry is turning its attention to Mactan, Cebu, as the Philippines prepares to host the 45th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2026 from 27 January to 4 February 2026. For the trade, however, the focal point of the week-long programme will be ATF TRAVEX 2026, the region’s most important B2B travel marketplace, taking place from 28 to 30 January 2026 at the newly completed Mactan Expo Center.

As ASEAN’s longest-running annual leisure travel trade event, TRAVEX (ASEAN Travel Exchange) remains the commercial engine of ATF, providing a highly structured, trade-only platform where business gets done. This year’s edition is expected to be particularly significant, as destinations and suppliers across Southeast Asia continue to accelerate recovery and reposition themselves in an increasingly competitive global tourism landscape.

Philippines Showcases Readiness and Hospitality
As host country, the Philippines is placing strong emphasis on operational readiness and delegate experience. The Department of Tourism (DOT) has confirmed close coordination with the Province of Cebu, national government agencies, and the Cebu City Tourism Commission to ensure seamless delivery of ATF 2026, including cultural and heritage programming tailored for international delegates.

DOT Central Visayas has also rolled out Project Harana (Hosting ASEAN with Readiness, Agility, Nationalism, and Authenticity), an intersectoral initiative preparing volunteers, tour guides, tourist drivers, students, and event organisers for the influx of regional and global delegates. The programme integrates the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE), refresher courses for accredited guides, frontline service training, and modular instruction covering protocol, safety, site management, and destination interpretation.

Speaking ahead of the forum, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed confidence in the country’s preparedness. “As we prepare for the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026, we are confident in the Philippines’ readiness to welcome our neighbors with excellence and warmth. Through this milestone event, we aim to showcase the Filipino brand of hospitality while strengthening regional cooperation and building a resilient, competitive tourism industry for the future.”

A Strategic Moment for Cebu and ASEAN
ATF 2026 comes at a strategic time for Cebu and the wider Philippines, as the destination continues efforts to rebuild international arrivals to pre-pandemic levels. Hosting TRAVEX in Mactan places Cebu squarely in front of key decision-makers from source markets across Asia-Pacific and beyond, offering a timely platform to drive new partnerships, contracts, and itineraries.

TRAVEX at the Core of ATF 2026
Held under the overarching ATF theme “Navigating Our Future, Together,” TRAVEX 2026 will once again bring together ASEAN sellers, hosted international buyers, and global travel media in a tightly curated business environment. Exhibitors representing all ASEAN Member States will showcase destination products and services spanning leisure travel, MICE, experiences, accommodation, transport, and destination management.

A key highlight for participants is the 32 pre-scheduled one-to-one business appointments, which can be fully arranged prior to arrival. This appointment-led format has long been a defining strength of TRAVEX, ensuring efficiency, meaningful engagement, and tangible commercial outcomes over the three-day programme.

Beyond the exhibition floor, TRAVEX 2026 will also feature an extensive programme of networking functions and curated cultural experiences, reinforcing relationship-building across the region. Delegates will have access to five pre-show tours and eight post-show tours, designed to immerse buyers and media in the Philippines’ diverse tourism offerings, from island resorts and marine attractions to heritage sites and urban culture in Cebu and beyond.

For ASEAN as a whole, TRAVEX 2026 reinforces the bloc’s collective positioning as a single, multi-faceted tourism destination, while advancing collaboration, innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth across member states.

As an officially invited media Travelindex Media Group is covering one of the most important events in travel industry and reporting from the event hub.

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF)
ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination. ATF TRAVEX is the longest-running annual ASEAN leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN sellers. This annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 11 ASEAN Member Nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Each year, the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. The Philippines will host ATF 2026. ATF 2026 marks the 45th anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981.

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