By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, (PNA) — What everyone thought was just another marketing or advertising campaign has become a way for everyone to wave the Philippine flag.
This, according to Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. referring to the Department of Tourism campaign, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is all about.
In face of challenges and cynicism, Jimenez said that nothing could keep the Filipinos from retaining their positive attitude and knowing the true value of “having fun”.
“I need to rely on 95 million Filipinos to help me announce to the world that it is indeed more fun in the Philippines,” Jimenez said, noting that the responsibility of one had to be the responsibility of all.
“Filipinos wear that shirt (bearing the tourism campaign) in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Athens, London and Paris and it says, ‘It’s More Fun Where I was Born,’” Jimenez said.
He added that the simple idea of creating a new campaign in 2012 became a national fever also allowing every single Filipino take his or her part in making the common objective of generating more foreign arrivals be met.
According to Rappler CEO, Maria Ressa, in one of the Tourism audio-visual presentations, what made the tourism campaign unique because it is something Filipinos find very personal.
“It’s a government campaign and yet it had individual touches of people who spread it,” Ressa said.
Meanwhile, Jimenez said that more so than the place, what brought fun in the country was the people.
“The Philippines, if nothing else, is fun because the people are more than willing to share their joy with the rest of the world,” he said.
He and the whole Tourism team is optimistic that the DOT will meet its goal of reaching five million foreign tourist arrivals by the end of the year.
Right now, the DOT said that arrivals have reached just above three million as of August.