Want to have more fun in 2015? Visit the Philippines!

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism and its marketing and promotions arm, the Tourism Promotions Board, recently launched a microsite to promote its Visit the Philippines 2015 campaign.

The launch was held during the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) at SMX Convention Center, attended by DOT’s local and international travel partners from 30 countries.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said, “Tourism is a country performing at its best. It’s not just about seeing places, but also about experiencing local cultures.”

For 2015, DOT is expecting seven million foreign tourist arrivals. The figures may be small compared to our Asian neighbors’ but local tourism is, in fact, at an all-time high. Jimenez said that in 2013, “44 million travelers crossed domestic borders…We are now travel crazy as a country.”

The microsite (www.phl2015.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com) is an easy-to-navigate website that details destinations and activities foreign visitors can do in the Philippines. It also serves as a venue for tourism partners to promote their activities (such as music and sporting events) to both local and international visitors.

The microsite has five categories: Arts, Entertainment, Adventure, Business and Culture.

Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Domingo “Chicoy” Enerio, who successfully headed the tourism consulate in London for years before being posted back to Manila, said, “Next year, 2015, will be overflowing with revelry and the Filipino is at the very core of why it’s more fun in the Philippines.”

Enerio cites some events across all five categories that make 2015 truly more fun in the Philippines: The country will host Madrid Fusion, an international gastronomic summit participated by chefs from around the world. It is also hosting the APEC Summit with meetings to be held in Manila, and other destinations such as Boracay, Iloilo, Bataan, Clark and Legazpi. Enerio said the DOT is excited to show ministers and leaders of Asia Pacific countries other parts of the country outside Metro Manila, the traditional venue for such top-level summits.

For music lovers, more international acts and theater productions will be held in the country. For history buffs, there is the 70th anniversary of the final battles of World War 2. And for sports and adventure events, there’s the annual Ironman and other land and water competitions.

To kick off the year is the January visit anticipated by the entire country: Pope Francis who is scheduled to visit Manila, Tacloban and other areas affected by last year’s devastating typhoon Yolanda.

The microsite is a great complement to DOT’s existing itsmorefuninthephilippines.com website, which in itself is very comprehensive with great photos and short articles related to destinations in the Philippines. This website is a great resource for all the favorite destinations from north to south and every fiesta town in between, while the 2015 microsite is more of a current calendar of one-off activities that take place at different times of the year.