New tourism slogan to highlight Philippine culture, people - Frasco

The Department of Tourism’s new campaign, which will succeed “It’s More Fun in the Philippines," will focus on the country’s assets that have yet to be maximized, such as its culture and its people, a top official said Wednesday.
 
According to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco, the new campaign is currently in the works, with the agency conducting a market study on the existing campaign along with global trends in travel and tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has been promoting the country’s tourist destinations through the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign since 2012.
 
“The enhanced tourism slogan will give our country an opportunity to market itself not just as a fun destination, which it will continue to be, but also as a destination for everything else that includes highlighting our culture and our people,” Frasco said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
 
Last week, Frasco said the new slogan could be released “in the next few weeks,” following the approval of the National Tourism Development Plan for 2023–2028.
 
Citing data from tourism-related publications, Frasco said that trends after the COVID-19 lockdowns show that travelers and tourists now want to have substantive, immersive, and authentic cultural experiences.
 
“We are now in the process of enhancing; there are so many aspects of Philippine tourism that go beyond fun,” she said, but noted that the industry does not hinge on the campaign alone as product development is also needed.
 
“We recognize that we still have many destinations in the country that still require assistance in terms of accessibility,” she added, with the Philippines ranking sixth in the ASEAN region in terms of infrastructure.
 
Still, Frasco said the country could capitalize on the expected tourism boom as the DOT targets 4.8 million international tourists this year after hitting 2.65 million in 2022. It also expects a 100% recovery of domestic tourism.
 
“We can see how tourism, notwithstanding the recent reopening due to the pandemic, has proven itself to be a very reliable source of income for our fellow Filipinos and a reliable source of contribution to our economy,” she said.
 
The DOT is also set to launch a new mobile application where users will be able to match their interests to suitable destinations within the Philippines based on the existing database of the agency and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).
 
The soft launch is expected by June or July, with the application available for domestic and international travelers.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News