It's more than fun and WOW!

Alright now, so the much-awaited new Philippine tourism campaign tagline and logo is out of the bag and is, again, not without its attached controversies. Like its ill-fated predecessor, “Pilipinas Kay Ganda,” the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign is likewise hounded by accusations of plagiarism, not to mention lack of creativity and punch.

But considering that the Department of Tourism (DOT) already scrapped its earlier marketing propaganda, it would be very unlikely that the new one will suffer the same fate or succumb to calls to revive the more catchy “WOW! Philippines” campaign. Kahiyaan na ‘to.

Hence, now it appears the local tourism industry, pregnant with opportunities to take a bigger slice of the multi-billion dollar global tourism industry, will have to give the new slogan a chance and prove to millions of discriminating local and foreign tourists that it is, indeed, more fun in the archipelago. 

The Philippines without a doubt is blessed with myriad natural wonders from verdant mountains and forest, to the rich coral seas and pristine beaches. And with a somewhat strong marketing approach proclaiming that it’s more fun here than anywhere else, the country better be prepared to back it up.

But can we? Having stunningly beautiful attractions alone does not necessarily mean having more fun.

The bigger picture

As emphasized again and again in this corner, slogans, logos and other marketing gimmicks are just pieces of the tourism promotion program, with the larger, more quintessential aspect being the product itself.

While it’s true that the vastly popular WOW! Philippines gimmick by itself drew a lot of curiosity and an incremental increase in tourist arrivals, the numbers still paled in comparison to our ASEAN neighbors who have thrice or even four times as much number of visitors.

Their not-so-best-kept secret? Tourism infrastructure including accommodations, tourism orientation of the local folk, world class air, land and sea ports, security, and government regulations.

The much-hyped Boracay, the underground river in Palawan (which was recently voted as one of the seven new wonders of the world), among others without doubt are attractive, but when it comes to accessibility, hotels and other lodging infrastructure, such destinations are at a great disadvantage.

Fix first old problems and non-tourist oriented practices

A few months from now, the only remaining direct flight from Manila to Europe, serviced by Dutch carrier KLM, will be a thing of the past since the said carrier is reeling from excessive fees and taxes imposed by local authorities.

When we lose our only direct travel link to Europe, we are closing the doors to giving fun to more international tourists. And to think that destinations like Phuket, Bali and the like, which are similar to our attractions, already enjoy numerous direct flights to Europe and other key markets.

Remember the Customs plan to charge carriers – and later passengers – an extra fee for overtime work rendered when entering or leaving the country before or beyond the regular 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours? This was tantamount to saying that the Philippines, where it’s more fun, is unfortunately open for business only from 8 to 5. Beyond that, you have to pay extra. Now that’s not a lot of fun.

Much has been said about our airport. Why, even our most modern and biggest airport has been cited as one of the worst in the world. What more can be said of our regional airports which are more like airstrips serving as gateway to local attractions?

Recently, it was reported that comfort rooms at the NAIA-1 arrival area had to be shut down when the toilets overflowed. Whew! Not a very fun experience for an incoming travel-weary foreign tourist, if you ask me.

Yes, Secretary Jimenez is right, tourism promotion is not the sole responsibility of the DOT; other agencies should have the common sense, sense of urgency and professional decorum trained at boosting the industry. Only when we address the decades-old problem of insufficient infrastructure and the development of a tourism-oriented people can the real fun begin.

Bungling of tourists-hostage incident remains hanging

While I run the risk of being labeled as a nit-picker, I have to stress the point that the safety of tourists is of paramount importance, and the tragic Luneta hostage crisis of 2010 remains a major black eye that has yet to be addressed decisively and with finality.

It may have been more than a year since the tragedy placed the country on the dark side of international tourist headlines, and yet no one from concerned government agencies have taken full responsibility or been punished.

Imagine how many more Chinese tourists would have opted to visit and have more fun in our islands if the Luneta hostage tragedy was handled professionally and the investigation that followed yielded decisive, conclusive and concrete results and action programs to prevent occurrence of similar situations.

Don’t forget the private sector

The Tourism Act of 2009 was crafted to fully integrate the private sector, through the Tourism Congress, in backstopping government in its mission to boost the tourism industry.

During the term of then Tourism Secretary Bertie Lim, controversy erupted when members of the Tourism Congress lambasted the secretary for refusing to recognize the group and/or sit down and work with them.

Trouble apparently started when a lone, disgruntled luminary in the industry opposed and questioned the implementing rules and regulations of the Tourism Congress.

Getting rid of roadblocks

Secretary Jimenez must get rid of this roadblock to development and squeeze the most from the Tourism Act of 2009 by making sure the government has a well-motivated and supportive private sector. He, after all, has said that tourism development is not solely a government initiative.

Nor is it just mere “sloganeering.”

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