PH wedding planners out to woo clients abroad

The Philippine Association of Wedding Planners (PAWP) has set its sights abroad as the country becomes a more viable international wedding destination.

In a statement, PAWP president Liza Alviedo said the group would hold roadshows this year and actively participate in expos in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia, Canada, United States and several countries in Europe.

“We want to go about this slowly,” Alviedo said, citing that the group would focus first on the large Filipino communities overseas.

“There is a big market out there just waiting to be tapped. It will have to be a step-by-step process wherein our members and fellow wedding suppliers will eventually be able to maximize their reach,” she said.

The group’s first roadshow stop this year will be the Philippine Wedding Expo @ Singapore in July, which is being organized by local firm Destination Events and Business Solutions.

PAWP is partnering with the events company for the Singapore wedding expo because both shared a vision of promoting the country’s wedding industry abroad.

The target is to secure at least 150 contracts from the expo.

“Singapore is a bit different from other countries with a large Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) presence as our countrymen there are working in offices, with some of them having middle management positions or higher. It is a market with a capacity to spend for their weddings,” Alviedo said.

Latest data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration ranked Singapore third in total number of OFWs after Saudi Arabia and UAE.

With PAWP’s presence at the Singpore event, Destination Events president Giselle De Leon said potential clients attending the roadshow would be acquiring the best wedding services available.

“PAWP members have established track records. In the Philippines, they are the best in the business. We are delighted to partner with them for this expo,” De Leon said.

PAWP has been actively supporting the Department of Tourism’s campaign to make the Philippines one of the preferred wedding destinations in the world.