Palace drums up support for Vigan ‘Wonder Cities’ bid

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is drumming up support for Vigan City, the country’s only representative in the search for the New7Wonder Cities of the world.

After it qualified for the Top 28 official finalist candidates last year, Vigan in Ilocos Sur made it the Top 21 as the votes were consolidated last week.

“I hope that we show the same support for Vigan in the same way that all our Filipinos on social media supported the campaign of the Underground River (in Palawan) to be part of the New Seven Wonders,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said yesterday.

Voting may be done at www.new7wonders.com.

Voting for the second phase where the Top 21 cities will be trimmed down to 14 started on July 7 and will end on Oct. 7.

The next phase – when the Top 7 cities will be chosen from the Top 14 cities – will start on Oct. 7 and end on Dec. 7, when the Official New7Wonder Cities will be announced.

The beauty of Vigan is best appreciated at night as attractive centuries-old houses on Crisologo Street are illuminated.

Valte also congratulated the Department of Tourism’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” promo that landed third among the world’s best marketing campaigns, according to the Warc 100, a global annual ranking of marketing campaigns based on performance, effectiveness and strategy.

More than the recognition for a successful marketing campaign they have received, Valte said it would result in the increase of tourist arrivals in the country.

“Maybe it’s just icing on the cake for the DOT and for Secretary Ramon Jimenez but, again, congratulations are in order,” Valte said.

She said the country had been investing in infrastructure and other tourism-related projects to further boost the industry.

In giving its ranking, Warc 100 specifically took note of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” marketing campaign’s tremendous success despite minimal budget allocation.

“How a low-budget strategy tackled an image problem that prevented potential tourists from visiting the Philippines,” Warc 100 said.

The “It’s More Fun” campaign was launched in 2012 by the DOT with BBDO Guerrero, one of the country’s most awarded advertising firms.

Warc 100’s ranking is mainly focused on marketing that makes a difference, driving business performance or changing consumer behavior.

It also considers if the marketing campaign was able to become a benchmark for commercial creativity, allowing brands and agencies to compare their performance with their peers.