When you have a strong conviction of who you are and what you stand for, the universe somehow understands and cooperates with you. This is probably why I am surrounded by pretty amazing people. I get to hear, and when lucky, experience firsthand acts of wonder by friends who have made a positive impact on many lives. Let’s take for example superwomen: Loralee Baron-Soong of SoFa Design Institute (SoFa) and Marga Nograles, COO of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) — the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT). It was a no-brainer for them to collaborate and lead their respective teams into a partnership that made so much sense. What a brilliant idea to promote Philippine tourism through design! Don’t you think? Our local talents definitely deserve center stage.
According to SoFA, the Memorandum of Understanding is set to be a springboard for a possible year-long campaign that aims to be at the forefront of promoting various local tourist destinations, highlighted through both SoFA and TPB’s design and digital content resources.
“We are excited about this partnership with TPB since we share the same vision of uplifting our cultural communities through tourism and destination stewardship,” said SoFA executive director Loralee Baron-Soong.
“This collaboration reinforces SoFA’s strong commitment of cultivating the country’s next creative leaders and promoting Filipino culture,” she added.
In support of TPB’s goal to market and boost the country domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism destination, the campaign intends to co-create and deploy creative initiatives between the two as part of the TPB’s various community-based programs.
“We eagerly look forward to working together with SoFA, not just to further strengthen our partnership, but to leverage on opportunities for the benefit of communities around the Philippines and the tourism industry,” TPB Chief Operating Officer Margarita Nograles said.
The joint project will be bridging SoFa students with the communities in hopes of bringing forth opportunities through creative and local resource-driven interactions. I can’t wait to see how this partnership will unfold. Definitely exciting times ahead.
Meanwhile, in its bid to empower communities to preserve their cultural heritage, crafts, and traditions, as well as support the Department of Tourism’s 7-point agenda, TPB embarked on the next phase of its Community Based Tourism Marketing Assistance program in the beautiful landlocked Province of Kalinga, just last week. I was not there, but I was in awe of all the photos I saw and I just had to share with you some images of this immersive visit. TPB invited friends from the media, content creators, and those in the field of fashion and design to help spread the word about Kalinga as a destination that can provide travelers with unique experiences. Well, I am curious and convinced so I’m adding Kalinga to my travel bucket list.