‘It’s more fun’ wins AsPac award

MANILA, Philippines - The “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign of the Department of Tourism (DOT) bagged the bronze award at the recent Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards 2016.

The DOT bested companies from Australia, Pakistan and India for the “Best of the Decade” category, which gathers the outstanding advertising campaign of the decade (2005-2015) that best exemplifies creative idea and execution with results.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. was also awarded the Tambuli Crimson Award for promoting the Philippines globally through excellent use of marketing communications and industry leadership.

“From a mom-and-pop operation to a thriving national business, tourism in the country now encompasses and cuts across other sectors – from agriculture, to infrastructure, education, cuisine, to arts and culture,” Jimenez said.

He added that tourism will continue its promising future for the Philippines as it is now the third largest dollar earning industry in the country.

“All these successes in tourism and global recognitions would not have been possible without the support from our tourism partners and stakeholders, who helped us in making tourism become a national business and a major economic driver,” Jimenez said.

Meanwhile, DOT continues to beef up its marketing and promotion to maintain the campaign’s global footprint.

The DOT launched the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign in 2012, followed by the Visit the Philippines Year 2015, and Visit the Philippines Again for this year.

The tourism industry continues its upward trend as it breached the two-million mark in international arrivals for the first four months of the year.

Foreign visitors in the country totaled 2.07 million for the January-April 2016 period, 15 percent higher than the 1.8 million recorded in 2015.

For 2016, DOT has set a new target of 6.5 million international arrivals as it continues to bank on key and emerging source markets. Total receipt from tourism is pegged at $6.5 billion.

The Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards is a marketing communication award that honors brands in the Asia-Pacific region that “do good” and “do well.”

It is organized by the School of Communications of the University of Asia & the Pacific, in coordination with advertising agencies, in efforts to create positive impact in society through marketing communications.