Philippine International Motor Show might happen next year instead of 2022

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has weakened several industries during the past few months. Apart from drastic reduction of vehicle sales from different brands, the automotive industry has also been struggling to hold certain events such as motor shows. Upon recalling, the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) was postponed, and until now the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) has decided not to hold the biennial Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) this year, which was strongly brought up by the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Behind this sad news, CAMPI also announced that they may have the 8th edition of the motor show taking place in 2021.

So instead of holding this much-anticipated event in 2022, CAMPI decided to do it next year. Safety measures and other guidelines shall be imposed in accordance with the ongoing pandemic, through the usual temperature checks, wearing of face masks plus face shields, and proper social distancing among participants of the said event. No further plans have been stated, although it is also worth noting that the supposed venue is still being used as a quarantine facility.

Then again, we may never know if the current situation will change by next year, either for better or worse. Currently, our country is still experiencing the rise of positive COVID-19 cases, plus, we’re still waiting for the much-needed vaccine that should accommodate the worldwide population. 

CAMPI must, therefore, come up with a bunch of safety protocols that should further empower PIMS to push through. Perhaps, they should take inspiration or somewhat adapt the strategies or tactics done by the organizers of the 2020 Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS), wherein the event managed to gather 1-million visitors, and generate over 18,000 car bookings.

There are indeed barriers hindering the occurrence of this future event, so let’s just continue to stay safe and hope for the best to come.