Manila (The Manila Times) – The Philippines is rolling out a new tourism campaign that paints the country as a fun place to visit – an image often marred by news of natural disasters and internal security threats. Tourism chiefs have high hopes for a new slogan – It's More Fun In The Philippines. A previous effort was ditched when the design of the campaign website became embroiled in a plagiarism row, for using the same lettering and features of Poland's official tourism logo. When he unveiled the new campaign late last week, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said it gives a clear answer to the question of why tourists should visit the Philippines. “The truth is that the Philippines is more than a bunch of islands and old churches,” he said. “It's the fun Filipino people who complete the Philippine tourism experience. It's the people who differentiate us from other destinations.” Indeed, one of the most memorable impressions many first-time visitors take away from this country is the cheerful and courteous nature of its people. “Even in trying times, Filipinos find ways to be happy,” said travel agent Dante Calma, president of Manila-based Kenstar Travel. He asked where else but the Philippines would a troupe of dancing prisoners from a maximum security prison become a tourist attraction, as happened in Cebu. But visitor arrivals still lag far behind neighboring countries, mainly because of security concerns and a big to-do list for building tourism infrastructure. A catchy campaign slogan will not, of course, change that. “But it does clearly explain why it's worth visiting the Philippines,” said trainee teacher Ditas Lopez. She shares the concern of many that the campaign will be a dud unless it is backed by a sizable marketing budget. Ms Lopez said that in the four years she worked in Singapore, until 2009, it was “rare to see tourism ads there promoting the Philippines”. The latest official data shows 3.5 million international arrivals in the Philippines in the first 11 months of last year. By contrast, Thailand reportedly welcomed 17 million foreign visitors in the same period, while Malaysia recorded 24.6 million arrivals in 2010 and estimated that 25.5 million came last year. Tourist arrivals in Singapore for the first 11 months of last year came up to more than 11.9 million. In 2010, 121,083 Singaporeans visited the Philippines, and the Department of Tourism targeted a 10 per cent increase for last year. The new campaign has been well received, despite some carping after it emerged that the same slogan had been used by Switzerland, albeit in the 1950s. This country's tourism prospects also got a boost when Puerto Princesa's Underground River made it to the provisional list of a five-year global Internet poll to name the new seven wonders of nature, which has attracted millions of voters. The government aims to boost foreign tourist numbers to six million by 2016. President Benigno Aquino personally approved the campaign by local advertising agency BBDO Guerrero. Much of the hope the Philippines has of getting a bigger slice of the regional tourism market depends on whether it can allay security concerns that put off potential visitors. The United States, Australia and other Western nations warn citizens to exercise caution when travelling in the Philippines. Just days after the new campaign was launched, President Aquino warned of a possible terrorist threat to a religious procession in Manila which attracted around three million worshipers on Monday. The authorities announced this month that tourist police units have been assigned to 25 new tourists spots, among them Puerto Princesa. This brings the number of locations patrolled by this special unit to 39. Mr Calma said: “The security situation has been a bit overblown by the media, but it's still a concern.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/e5npj Tags: Campaign, Fun, Philippines, Tourism Section: East Asia, Travel
