People differed on the controversial Department of Tourism “Love the Philippines” slogan.
Personally, there’s no denying the charm of its precedent “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”. But “Love the Philippines”?
The campaign video, which contains footage of a rice terrace in Bali, Indonesia, as well as a fisherman throwing a net in Thailand, was a shocker.
Too bad, Bali is very akin to many destinations in the Philippines. Think Boracay, Bohol, El Nido, where it’s sunny all-year round and the beaches are blue as can be.
Why would a tourism campaign video use a footage of competitors to show the audience how beautiful other countries are?
According to research firm Statista, international arrivals from Taiwan to Indonesia fell from 264,280 in 2017 to 208,320 in 2018 and 207,490 in 2019.
On the other hand, based on the data released by the DOT, the Taiwanese market showed huge growth with 35.01 percent, accumulating a total of 327,273 arrivals in the Philippines in 2019.
“Interestingly, the volume of tourists from Taiwan to Kalibo was about five times higher, from 6,220 arrivals in 2018 to 37,117 arrivals in 2019,” it concluded.
In other words, before the pandemic, the tourism campaign of the Philippines did work well on bringing in a great number of tourists from Taiwan.
Taiwan works hard to attract more Filipino tourists, as well. According to the Tourism Bureau, inbound visitors from the Philippines had been growing from 290,303 in 2017 to 420,302 in 2018 and 510,966 in 2019, representing 44.78 percent and 21.57 percent growth rate respectively.
While the Philippines launched the Bisita, Be My Guest travel incentive program from January to April this year, aiming at encouraging overseas Filipinos to tag along friends and family members to visit the country, Taiwan is giving away 500,000 vouchers worth NT$5,000 each, approximately P8,875, as travel incentives for self-guided travelers visiting Taiwan.
The vouchers will be given out through a lucky draw system and will run all the way through 2025.
At the same time, the tourism bureau has been inviting Korean and Japanese stars, such as Squid Game star Wi Ha-joon, celebrity couple Kim Jae-woo and Cho Yu-ri, Takuya Kimura, Masami Nagasawa and Haruna Kawaguchi to be the tourism ambassador of Taiwan.
After Gabbi Garcia, the first Filipino tourism ambassador of Taiwan, did a great job fulfilling her role, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau plans to introduce a new tourism ambassador to create a new sensation and bring in more Filipino tourists.
Last, Taiwan is once again inviting travelers from around the world to spend a night at the Presidential Office Building, the workplace of President Tsai Ing-wen, with the aim of giving tourists a first-hand experience of Taiwan’s friendliness, freedom and diversity.
This year, nearly 100 people, or groups from 28 countries, have registered to this program and judges will pick 10 winners who will not only spend overnight at the Presidential Office Building, but be treated to one of the experiences, including a hunter camp at the indigenous tribe, battlefield art at the Matsu Biennial, and a visit to the Taiwan Space Agency.