08/09/2026
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AKLAN AT THE PHILIPPINE TRAVEL MART
A Historical Journey of Participation, Cultural Presentation, and National Recognition
For Aklan, the Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) has become more than an annual tourism exposition. Over the years, it has developed into a national stage where the province and its municipalities present not only destinations, but also living traditions, festivals, craftsmanship, food, local products, creative industries, and the people behind them.
Organized by the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), the Philippine Travel Mart traces its beginnings to a Department of Tourism initiative and has evolved into the country’s longest-running travel trade and tourism exposition.
For Aklan, the PTM story is particularly significant because it illustrates a gradual transformation in tourism positioning: from a province internationally associated with Boracay to a destination increasingly recognized for the diversity and depth of its cultural heritage.
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BEFORE 2017: AKLAN’S EARLY PTM PRESENCE
The available historical record shows that Aklan’s participation predates the recent string of awards.
A 2017 report from Kalibo documented that Ibajay, Malay, Boracay, and the provincial government of Aklan had already participated in the Philippine Travel Mart in previous years. The same report said that Kalibo was preparing to participate again after not having joined the fair for several years.
This is an important distinction.
The PTM was not simply a new tourism initiative for Aklan in the 2020s. Rather, the province and some of its local governments had already recognized the value of the national travel marketplace.
What changed later was the scale, coordination, and sophistication of the presentation.
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2017 — THE 28TH PHILIPPINE TRAVEL MART
The 28th Philippine Travel Mart was held on September 1–3, 2017, at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City. The Tourism Promotions Board’s 2017 report confirms the event as the 28th edition of PTM.
Aklan was among the provinces represented, while Ibajay, Kalibo, and Malay were also listed among the participating towns and cities.
The Provincial Government of Aklan subsequently recorded that its Aklan Provincial Tourism Office participated in the Philippine Travel Mart and the Capiz Regional Tourism Expo in 2017.
The 2017 participation is therefore an important documentary baseline for reconstructing Aklan’s modern PTM history.
It shows that the province and several municipalities were already working to establish a presence at the national tourism marketplace.
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2022 — THE POST-PANDEMIC RETURN
The pandemic interrupted the momentum of Philippine tourism and changed the environment in which destinations marketed themselves.
When Aklan returned to the PTM in the post-pandemic period, its presentation increasingly emphasized experiences rather than destinations alone.
Culture, food, local products, festivals and traditional craftsmanship became important components of the province’s tourism narrative.
For Aklan, this approach was especially appropriate because its tourism assets are unusually diverse: Boracay’s international appeal exists alongside the Ati-Atihan tradition, piña weaving, indigenous cultural heritage, inland landscapes, food traditions and the individual identities of its municipalities.
The PTM consequently became a platform through which Aklan could communicate a broader proposition:
Aklan is not merely a gateway to Boracay; Aklan itself is a destination.
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2023 — THE BREAKTHROUGH YEAR
The 34th Philippine Travel Mart, held September 1–3, 2023, marked a major milestone.
Aklan’s participation was unusually broad. The Municipality of Altavas documented that it joined 17 other municipalities in supporting the Province of Aklan’s participation. This demonstrates the increasingly collaborative character of the provincial presentation.
The provincial delegation subsequently won the Best Presentation Award.
The official Municipality of Altavas account specifically records that Aklan received the coveted Best Presentation award, describing it as recognition of the province’s efforts in promoting sustainable and inclusive tourism.
KALIBO’S FIRST RECORDED PTM CHAMPIONSHIP IN THIS RUN
The same 2023 PTM also produced an important municipal achievement.
Kalibo won the Best Booth competition in the Cities and Municipalities Category. Contemporary reporting described Kalibo’s booth as featuring a major Ati-Atihan representation and highlighted the municipality’s cultural presentation.
Thus, 2023 established a significant pattern:
Aklan was succeeding at the provincial presentation level, while Kalibo was simultaneously succeeding at the municipal booth level.
This distinction is important because the two awards recognized different dimensions of tourism promotion.
The province demonstrated the strength of its collective cultural presentation, while Kalibo demonstrated its ability to construct a compelling destination booth and municipal identity.
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2024 — “HINABOE” AND THE RECOGNITION OF AKLAN’S WEAVING HERITAGE
The 35th Philippine Travel Mart, held September 6–8, 2024, produced another major achievement.
The Province of Aklan and LGU Kalibo won the Best Presentation Award for “Hinaboe,” a presentation centered on Aklan’s centuries-old weaving tradition. Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores’ 2024 report explicitly records the achievement.
The recognition was particularly meaningful because it placed traditional craftsmanship at the center of a national tourism presentation.
Rather than relying primarily on beaches or conventional attractions, Aklan presented the story of its people through the act of weaving.
A BACK-TO-BACK BEST PRESENTATION
The 2024 victory was also historically significant because it was the province’s second consecutive Best Presentation Award, following the 2023 victory. Contemporary reporting described it as Aklan’s back-to-back Best Presentation achievement.
The timing coincided with another major cultural milestone.
In December 2023, Aklan piña handloom weaving was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the first such inscription from Aklan and the Visayas region. Governor Miraflores’ report specifically connected the PTM achievement with the province’s subsequent international promotion of piña handloom weaving.
KALIBO — 1ST RUNNER-UP
Kalibo also maintained its strong booth performance.
At the 35th PTM, Kalibo won 1st Runner-Up for Best Booth in the Cities and Municipalities Category. The event reportedly brought together more than 300 exhibitors from 18 regions.
Thus, 2024 demonstrated that Kalibo’s 2023 championship was not an isolated achievement.
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2025 — ANOTHER MAJOR YEAR FOR AKLAN
The 36th Philippine Travel Mart was held September 5–7, 2025, at the SMX Convention Center in Manila. The official Philippine Travel Mart site describes the event as part of PTM’s continuing “NextGen Tourism” direction, emphasizing sustainability, innovation, wellness and inclusivity.
Aklan again performed strongly.
The provincial tourism delegation was reported as having won Best Presentation, while LGU Kalibo won Best Booth. Aklan’s provincial tourism communication identified the achievement as another major victory for the province and Kalibo.
The 2025 Best Presentation recognition was particularly noteworthy because it represented Aklan’s third Best Presentation championship in the recent PTM period.
The sequence therefore becomes:
2023 — Best Presentation
2024 — Best Presentation (“Hinaboe”)
2025 — Best Presentation
This is a remarkable record of consistency.
At the municipal level, Kalibo likewise returned to the top:
KALIBO — BEST BOOTH CHAMPION
After placing first in 2023 and second in 2024, Kalibo again captured the Best Booth — Cities and Municipalities Category in 2025.
The result established Kalibo as one of the strongest municipal presenters at the PTM.
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2026 — KALIBO DEFENDS ITS TITLE
The 37th Philippine Travel Mart was held September 4–6, 2026, at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The Tourism Promotions Board lists the event as the 37th PTM and identifies the three-day exposition as a national showcase of Philippine destinations.
Aklan again mounted a major provincial presence.
Its pavilion continued to promote the province through culture, local products, traditional craftsmanship, performances and destination experiences, while Kalibo maintained a distinct municipal presence.
And once again, Kalibo reached the top.
KALIBO — BACK-TO-BACK BEST BOOTH CHAMPION
LGU Kalibo was declared Champion for Best Booth in the Cities/Municipalities Category at the 37th Philippine Travel Mart.
This means Kalibo successfully defended its 2025 title.
Its recent record is therefore:
2023 — Champion
2024 — 1st Runner-Up
2025 — Champion
2026 — Champion
That sequence is one of the strongest recent PTM records of any Philippine municipality in the category.
The 2026 Kalibo presentation continued to draw from the municipality’s distinctive cultural identity, including Ati-Atihan, Santo Niño devotion, local delicacies, piña and haboe traditions, storytelling and creative expression.
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THE ROLE OF AKLAN’S MUNICIPALITIES
One of the most important aspects of this history is the increasing participation of Aklan’s municipalities.
The province does not possess a single tourism identity.
Its municipalities represent different geographical, cultural and economic landscapes.
Kalibo contributes the provincial capital’s cultural heritage, Ati-Atihan, Santo Niño devotion, piña weaving, food and creative industries.
Malay carries the extraordinary international tourism profile of Boracay while also representing mainland and coastal attractions.
Ibajay contributes its own cultural and ecological heritage.
Buruanga, Tangalan, New Washington, Altavas, Batan, Makato, Malinao, Madalag, Libacao, Lezo, Nabas, Numancia, and the other municipalities contribute their own festivals, landscapes, foodways, agricultural products, heritage sites and community experiences.
The 2023 PTM participation is particularly revealing because Altavas documented the involvement of 18 municipalities in total supporting the provincial presentation.
This suggests a tourism model based not simply on competition among municipalities, but on collective destination-building.
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FROM BORACAY TO A MULTI-LAYERED AKLAN
Historically, the global image of Aklan has been heavily associated with Boracay.
That association has been enormously valuable. Boracay remains one of the Philippines’ best-known international tourism destinations.
But Aklan’s PTM history demonstrates why the province cannot be reduced to one island.
The award-winning presentations have increasingly placed emphasis on:
* Ati-Atihan and other festivals
* Aklan piña handloom weaving
* Haboe and other textile traditions
* indigenous cultural heritage
* local cuisine and delicacies
* agriculture and local products
* creative industries
* music and performing arts
* heritage and historical narratives
* nature and community-based tourism
* the distinct identities of the municipalities
This is an important evolution in tourism strategy.
Instead of asking visitors only to visit Aklan, the province increasingly invites them to experience Aklan.
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WHY THE AWARDS MATTER
The awards are not merely decorative achievements.
A Best Presentation recognizes the ability of a destination to communicate its tourism story through performance, creativity and cultural interpretation.
A Best Booth recognizes the ability of a destination to transform its identity into a physical visitor experience.
For Aklan, the awards reveal a consistent pattern:
THE PROVINCE HAS MASTERED THE ART OF CULTURAL STORYTELLING.
The progression is particularly striking:
2023 — Aklan wins Best Presentation.
2024 — Aklan wins again through “Hinaboe,” placing weaving heritage at the center of its story.
2025 — Aklan wins Best Presentation for the third time in the recent sequence.
At the same time:
2023 — Kalibo wins Best Booth.
2024 — Kalibo becomes 1st Runner-Up.
2025 — Kalibo returns as Champion.
2026 — Kalibo becomes back-to-back Champion.
This is no longer a single successful participation.
It is a sustained record of national-level tourism presentation excellence.
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THE DEEPER HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Perhaps the most important development is not any individual trophy.
It is the change in the story Aklan tells about itself.
The early tourism narrative could easily be summarized as:
“Aklan is the home of Boracay.”
The contemporary PTM narrative is much broader:
“Aklan is a province of living culture, heritage, craftsmanship, festivals, food, nature, creativity and hospitality—with Boracay as one of its greatest destinations.”
That is a significant conceptual shift.
The PTM has given Aklan the opportunity to bring its traditions into a national marketplace where tourism professionals, travel operators and consumers encounter destinations from throughout the Philippines.
In this setting, Ati-Atihan becomes not merely a festival but a cultural narrative; piña becomes not merely a textile but an inherited craft; local food becomes not merely a product but part of Aklanon identity; and the municipalities become not merely administrative units but distinct tourism communities.
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A LEGACY OF COLLECTIVE AKLANON PRIDE
The history of Aklan at the Philippine Travel Mart is ultimately a history of collective effort.
Provincial tourism officials, municipal governments, tourism officers, cultural workers, performers, artisans, weavers, entrepreneurs, food producers, artists and community members all contribute to the presentation.
The success of Kalibo should therefore also be understood within the wider Aklan story.
Kalibo’s victories have given the provincial capital its own national tourism identity, while the province’s Best Presentation victories have demonstrated the power of presenting Aklan as a collective cultural destination.
The relationship is complementary:
Aklan tells the provincial story.
Kalibo tells a powerful municipal story.
The other municipalities add their own chapters.
Together, they create the larger story of Aklan.
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CONCLUSION: AKLAN ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
From the documented participation of Aklan, Ibajay, Malay and Kalibo in the years leading to 2017, through the provincial participation recorded in the 28th PTM, to the award-winning performances of 2023–2026, Aklan’s Philippine Travel Mart history reflects the maturation of its tourism industry.
The recent record is especially remarkable:
Aklan — three Best Presentation championships in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Kalibo — Best Booth Champion in 2023, 1st Runner-Up in 2024, Champion again in 2025, and back-to-back Champion in 2026.
And behind those awards is something more enduring: the growing national visibility of Aklan’s living heritage and people.
The Philippine Travel Mart has therefore become an important chapter in Aklan’s modern tourism history—not simply because the province and its municipalities have won awards, but because they have used the national stage to demonstrate that Aklan’s greatest tourism asset is not one place, one beach, or one festival. It is the richness of an entire province and the communities that keep its culture alive.
FROM BORACAY TO ATI-ATIHAN, FROM PIÑA TO HABOE, FROM KALIBO TO THE MUNICIPALITIES—AKLAN CONTINUES TO TAKE ITS PLACE ON THE NATIONAL TOURISM STAGE.
FEEL ALIVE, FEEL AKLAN.
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Research note
The chronology above deliberately distinguishes documented participation and confirmed awards from claims that cannot yet be independently established year-by-year. The strongest documentary evidence presently available confirms the 2017 participation, the 2023–2025 provincial Best Presentation record, and Kalibo’s 2023–2026 Best Booth sequence. The 37th PTM itself is officially documented by the Tourism Promotions Board as taking place September 4–6, 2026.
