The Department of Tourism revealed the new tourism campaign slogan, Love the Philippines during its 50th anniversay celebration at the iconic Manila Hotel, Tuesday (June 27)
According to the tourism secretary the new campaign slogan is only fitting to way to reintroduce the Philippines to the globe as it welcomes a new age of tourism for the Philippines to the world.
Saying that there is more than just fun and adventure in the country, “Love the Philippines goes to the very heart of every single Filipino with the distinct grace and hospitality with which we welcome every guest that comes into our shores, our communities, and our homes. Love the Philippines is a recognition of our natural assets, our long and storied history, our rich culture and diversity.”
“The Philippines is a powerhouse of mega biodiversity, being only one of 18 mega biodiverse countries in the world, a deep well of culture and history, a profound burst and taste of flavor and gastronomy, a tapestry of indigenous peoples and creative communities by whose work of their hands have safeguarded the dignity and integrity of the Filipino identity. This is who we are. These complexities and nuances of the Philippines have yet to be fully articulated to the world for indeed, the story of the Filipino has yet to be fully told, and we shall tell that story by telling them the story of love. Love the Philippines,” DOT Secretary Frasco said.
Adjusting to the post-pandemic tourism landscape and changing trends
With the everchanging global tourism landscape post pandemic, and the growing desire of travelers for more immersive experiences in their travels, the DOT viewed the enhanced brand as a timely response to the demands of the industry.
In a recent survey conducted by the United Nations World Travel Organization (UNWTO) among its member countries, market repositioning and rebranding strategies is among the priorities identified after the pandemic based on its Survey Findings on Member Priorities for UNWTO program of work 2024-2025.
With an enhanced tourism campaign in tow, the DOT’s focus now is to show more of what there is to “Love the Philippines” as it works towards the realization of President Marcos, Jr.’s vision for the country to become a tourism powerhouse in Asia.
“Indeed, if we are to compete with our neighbors in our effort as well to partner with them for Asia to become a powerhouse tourism region in the world, the time has come for us to add to the value proposition of the Philippines by telling the world how much more we have to offer,” Secretary Frasco said.
“We have multiple facets of tourism destinations that present a golden opportunity for we have only scratched the surface thus far,” she added.
Rosy prospects for Philippine tourism
According to Secretary Frasco, the world has “the world has noticed that there is so much to love about the Philippines.”
This, as the Philippines has recorded 2,641,993 visitors from January 1 to June 26, 2023, and is close to breaching the 2.65 million arrivals it recorded for 2022.
Further, the tourism sector is regarded as a stalwart as far as contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) is concerned. According to the 2022 Philippine Tourism Satellite Accounts (PTSA) for 2022, the Tourism Direct Gross Value Added (TDGVA) share of the sector to the Philippine economy, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was estimated at 6.2 percent and amounted to PHP 1.38 trillion in 2022.
The Philippines is also seeing a boost in tourism-related enterprise employment, with 5.35 million estimated tourism employment last year.
As she rallied their support for the DOT’s vision of showcasing the best of the Philippines to the world under the Marcos administration, the Secretary said: “As we usher in this golden era for tourism, for our fellow Filipinos, for our beautiful country, let us find it in our hearts to have that burning pride of place for the Philippines, to Love the Philippines, to usher us into the continued recovery and vigorous comeback of the Philippines to the world.”
