Former tourism chief Jimenez, 64

MANILA, Philippines — Former tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who was responsible for the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, has died from cardiac arrest. He was 64.

“On behalf of the officials and employees of the Department of Tourism, I would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the bereaved loved ones of former Tourism Secretary Ramon ‘Mon’ Jimenez Jr. who recently passed away,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement yesterday.

“The DOT family pays tribute to the immeasurable contributions of Secretary Jimenez who laid down the foundation for the country’s most famous tourism campaign, ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines,’ which I have chosen to retain until now, and the DOT policies that helped shape the National Tourism Development Program (NTDP) for 2016-2022,” she added.

“Today, we mourn the loss of Mon Jimenez but we will be forever grateful to him for the growth of the tourism sector, and for promoting the Philippines as a place that is wonderful, joyous and fun,” Puyat said.

Jimenez was appointed tourism secretary by former president Benigno Aquino III, replacing then secretary Alberto Lim.

Jimenez served as the chief of the agency until June 2016.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan expressed condolences to the family of Jimenez.

“Many will remember Secretary Mon as the man behind the famous campaign that took the world by storm. ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ resonated everywhere because he knew the heart of the Filipino,” Pangilinan said.

The senator said he was gratified by having the privilege of working with Jimenez in the executive branch.

“I will always remember Secretary Mon as the man who loved and served his country well, in or out of government,” he said.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) described Jimenez as “the important and charismatic figure behind the country’s popular tourism campaign It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” noting that the campaign became the top trending topic worldwide in just a matter of hours on the day it was launched. 

The campaign which was first launched in 2012 continues to be retained by the DOT, with a refreshed version launched last year.

Under his term, the Philippines’ rank in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum jumped 20 notches from 94th in 2011 to 74th in 2015. 

Prior to his post as tourism secretary, Jimenez held more than 35 years of experience in advertising.

Jimenez was a graduate of the University of the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, major in Visual Communications. 

In a statement, the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) said it mourns the passing of Jimenez.

“Known as the father of the highly successful It’s More Fun in the Philippines slogan, Sec. Mon, as he was fondly known, was a brilliant, soft-spoken and well-loved figure in the tourism and advertising industry,” the TCP said. – With Paolo Romero