Samar, Leyte tourism pushed at world leisure expo in China

Philippine officials promoted two tourist destinations in the Visayas region — Samar and Leyte — during the second World Leisure Expo in Hangzhou, China. A report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the expo, with the theme "Leisure Enhances the Quality of Life," began on September 17 and will end on November 18. The Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai held an exhibit, dubbed "Mirth of the Islands," featuring photos taken during festivals in the two provinces. "Taken in Samar and Leyte, two of the 7,107 islands of the country, and set in the cacophony of a fiesta (festival) and against the quietness of the sea, the series of photographs offered a glimpse of the Filipinos' joie de vivre - the Filipinos' love of life and laughter," the DFA said. "The photographs portrayed the faces and festivals of the islands, whether on the busy city streets, the quiet seaside towns, or the vast rice fields where the Filipinos' warmth is easily felt," the DFA added. Organizers of the Expo include the World Tourism Organization, World Leisure Organization, United Nations Educational Organization, Scientific and Cultural Organization, General Administration of Sport of the People's Republic of China and the People's Government of Zhejiang province. There are three main Expo venues in Hangzhou, including one at Xianghu Lake, Baima Lake and Qiandao Lake. The Consulate maintains a booth at the Expo focused on Philippine tourism at the White Horse (Baima) Lake Convention and Exhibition Center. It is the venue for the grand gathering of over 80 cities and 50 leisure enterprises from China and around the world. - VVP, GMA News