Social media can boost Mindanao tourism – DOT

MANILA, Philippines — Video blogging, or vlogging, could help boost the tourism industry in Mindanao, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

“There are many undiscovered beautiful beaches that we can be proud of,” DOT Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar said in an interview over the state-run Laging Handa media briefing on Sept. 14.

Abubakar noted that vloggers have featured places in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi that could have the potential to attract tourists, naming YouTube vloggers such as The Poor Traveler, The Chui Show, Chef RV Manabat and 8 Miles from Home.

Vloggers have also tried local dishes influenced by Islamic, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines and visited sites like the Sheik Makhdum Mosque in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi.

The DOT previously entered into an agreement with the Department of National Defense and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to promote Mindanao as a “peaceful and viable destination for domestic and international travelers” despite it becoming notorious for armed conflict.

In a memorandum circular, the DOT had also directed airports in Manila, Cebu and Clark to establish prayer rooms for Muslim tourists.

Abubakar said 223,345 Muslim travelers from Islam-majority countries and those belonging to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have arrived in the country this year, with majority coming from Malaysia, making it the Philippines’ seventh top source of tourists.