by magnolia_eic | Jan 9, 2012 | Headlines, National News
THE growing number of reactions to the new slogan of the Department of Tourism, whether online or in print media, is proof that the campaign to attract more visitors to the Philippines is working, a Palace official said on Sunday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said more and more Filipinos are getting “on board” and joining the government’s move to present the country as the best place to visit in 2012.
The DOT recently launched the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign as part of its intensive efforts to promote the country as a premiere tourist destination.
Valte said that the debates and intrigues triggered by this new slogan “attest that it is more fun in the Philippines.”
“If you check the reactions on line, everybody is getting on board, everyone is having fun with the slogan,” Valte said.
She expressed confidence that this new campaign of the DOT will succeed to bring in the volume of tourist arrivals this year.
“The measure of how effective the slogan is will be, in the numbers, in the figures, in the number of tourist arrivals that the country will have,” Valte said.
“We will be able to measure by the number of tourist arrivals na madadala nitong “Its more fun in the Philippines” campaign,” she added. (pcoo)
by magnolia_eic | Sep 2, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has appointed advertising exec Ramon “Mon” Jimenez Jr. as the new Tourism Secretary.
Jimenez, replaced business mogul Alberto Lim, whose resignation became effective yesterday, August 31.
He has spent most of his professional career as writer, creative director, or executive for the country’s top advertising agencies, even founding and serving as chief executive officer of Jimenez Basic.
Before his appointment, he was Joint Chief Executive Officer and Senior Consultant at Winning Over Obstacles (WOO) Consultancy, sharing his expertise with a number of successful corporations.
Secretary Jimenez has worked as a Journalism and Marketing Communications instructor in some of the country’s most renowned universities, and is a sought-after lecturer for many successful corporations such as the San Miguel Corporation and the Jollibee Group.
He graduated Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines.
Aquino expects Jimenez to surpass what Lim achieved in the Tourism office. He said he wanted improvement in the tourism campaign of the DOT to attract more tourists and further promote the country. (End)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 16, 2011 | Headlines, National News
HONG Kong has turned down the Philippine government’s repeated appeals to lift the Special Administrative Region’s nearly one-year-old ban on travel to Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The foreign office had “made representations with Hong Kong several times to have the travel ban lifted,” said Raul Hernandez, DFA spokesperson.
“The Department of Tourism (DOT) is also working to do this,” he told reporters. Hernandez said both the DFA and DOT had not given up though. “We will continue with our representations and hope that a positive outcome will result from them.”
On Aug. 23, 2010, Hong Kong’s Security Bureau raised to black its Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines after eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and seven wounded in a bus hijacking perpetrated by a dismissed Filipino police officer. (DFA)
by magnolia_eic | Nov 19, 2010 | Headlines, National News
SEVERAL lawmakers on Wednesday hit the new slogan of the Department of Tourism
(DOT), advising the agency to drop it and tap Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao as
its endorser to better promote the Philippines.
Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay said Pacquiao is the only Filipino personality
who is known globally. He believed that Pacquiao can do “a good job of selling the country”
than the new slogan, “Pilipinas Kay Ganda,” of the Tourism department.
The new slogan was introduced recently, replacing the “Wow, Philippines!” shoutout.
However, several lawmakers said there was no need to drop the previous slogan, as the new
one would only confuse tourists who cannot understand Filipino. (PIA)
by Misael | May 13, 2008 | Features
FOR YEARS, elusive capital has evaded Danao leaders intending to shake off insurgency baggage to hitch ride with Bohol tourism development bandwagon.
Without a reliable investor willing to risk and left with nothing but raw manpower and cascading tourism resource potential, Danao Mayor Thomas Louis Gonzaga claimed they could not just easily surrender to fate.
“We have been urging investors to come [to Danao], did not get any,” Mayor Gonzaga said in his message during the ceremonies marking the turn over of DOT grants to Bohol communities tourism development efforts two weeks ago.
Staking his political career on the line, the adventurous mayor confessed that their natural resource and the people here finally decided to get matters in their own hands.
On their drawing boards, they witnessed the slow emergence of a tourism community based tourism package that enhances their natural environment and gives its people the pride in their place.
Then the strategic and impenetrable camp of Dagohoy rebellion, the country’s longest serious uprising against Spanish authorities, Danao’s impenetrable forests, intricate network of caves, steep cliffs and rippling river has also hosted local insurgents supported by residents mired in hip deep poverty.
Now, getting government presence via the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) “Grassroots Entrepreneur-ship and Employment in Tourism (GREET) Mayor Gonzaga, said “this time the government hit the nail right on the head.”
With people now committed to develop and enhance its resources, the town has slowly carved a name as new tourist adventure destination in Central Bohol, admits Department of Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, in his recent visit to the mountainous town.
What used to be historic base camp of the country’s revolutionary leader Francisco Dagohoy, Danao now uses its almost impenetrable forests, riddling caves and deep limestone cliffs also provide a perfect opportunity for development with a new eco-educational adventure tourism (EAT) package.
“We are offering the modern experience of allowing tourists to re-trace Francisco Dagohoy exploits in the mountains here, so we offer caving, zip-lining, root climbing, rock scaling, bouldering, rappelling, navigating the rapids through rubber tubes and this time, with river kayaks,” said a local guide while explaining how to lash the safety harnesses for the zip line tyrolean traverse over the green Wahig river.
Not only that, the tour package also includes community immersion and interaction plus a countless chances for communion with nature in a park that boasts of pristine rivers, creeks, forests and cave with river system experiences.
“Experience respect for nature, the ecosystem and Danao’s history would be the main reason why tourists would come here and with locals getting livelihood, this should be sustainable, the local guide added.
Over this, Mayor Gonzaga added “It has to be the community that takes care of our environment, that is our main resource and that is livelihood for them.”
As to Sec. Durano, he said giving [the people] livelihood helps the community rid of the problem of insurgency.
To this, Gonzaga agrees, while adding that tourism is not just about jobs, but about community livelihood as well.
In addition, the country’s top tourist promoter shared that the Bohol tourism is environment-based and protecting it is just the way Danao is doing.
Now, Danao has proven that investing in its people and the resources can be a profitable experience, not just for the people’s pockets but their cultural being as well. (rachiu/PIA)
