I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN BERLIN TO THIS EVENT ORGANIZED BY SUNTRIPS REISEN AND THE PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM OFFICE IN FRANKFURT.

THIS IS THE THIRD IN THE SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS, AND LIKE THE OTHER TWO HELD LAST WEEK IN MUNICH AND FRANKFURT, I AM TRULY HAPPY TO SEE AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO THIS EVENT.     I WOULD LIKE TO THANK SUNTRIPS REISEN FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO GATHER ALL THE PARTICIPATING AGENTS FOR THESE SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS, AS WELL AS INCLUDING THE PHILIPPINES IN THEIR TOUR PACKAGES.  OUR APPRECIATION LIKEWISE GOES TO THOSE TRAVEL AGENTS WHO ARE ALREADY PROMOTING THE PHILIPPINES IN THE GERMAN MARKET.
 
GERMANS TOP THE LIST OF VISITORS COMING FROM WESTERN EUROPE TO THE PHILIPPINES WITH MONTHLY ARRIVALS OF BETWEEN 3,000 to 4,000 VISITORS LAST YEAR.     BASED ON STATISTICS FROM JANUARY TO OCTOBER 2004, THE NUMBER OF VISITOR ARRIVALS FROM GERMANY TO THE PHILIPPINES HAVE ACTUALLY INCREASED BY 20.4 PERCENT.

I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO BETTER AND THIS IS WHERE YOUR HELP IS NEEDED.  AN INTERESTING PROGRAM HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR YOU AND I HOPE THAT BY THE END OF THE EVENING, WE WILL HAVE CONVINCED YOU THAT THE PHILIPPINES IS A DESTINATION WORTH VISITING AND REVISITING.  

FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS YEAR MARKS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PHILIPPINE-GERMAN RELATIONS. WE HAVE LINED UP A SERIES OF ACTIVITIES  TO CELEBRATE THIS MILESTONE.   I HOPE THAT YOU CAN ATTEND SOME OF THEM.  INFORMATION ON THESE CAN BE FOUND ON THE EMBASSY WEBSITE AT WWW.PHILIPPINE-EMBASSY.DE.  

ONE EVENT THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE MOST INTERESTING TO YOU, AS TRAVEL AGENTS, WOULD BE THE PHILIPPINE FESTIVAL- COMPRISING OF A DAILY FOOD FESTIVAL, ART AND TRADE EXHIBITS AND  TOURISM BOOTH AT THE HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL BERLIN FROM 2 TO 8 MAY.   WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

ONCE MORE, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND HAVE A PLEASANT EVENING.