DOT's ‘Have A Safe Trip, Pinas’ earns UNWTO citation

MANILA, Philippines – A tourism video of the Department of Tourism was hailed as one of the Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism for the Asia and Pacific region in the 2021 United Nations World Tourism Organization tourism video competition.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat made this announcement on Friday.

"We are proud that the video produced by the Department made it to this prestigious competition. More importantly, we were able to show how tourism provides jobs and livelihoods while conveying our message of traveling safely," Puyat said in a statement.

“Have a Safe Trip, Pinas,” which used a new rendition of Basil Valdez’s “You” as background music, was released by the tourism agency in November last year.

Shot on Boracay, it features two tourists who meet while traveling and eventually get married on the island. As it showed happy moments of tourists while promoting safe travels amid the pandemic, the video seeks to encourage domestic travel as several destinations around the country have reopened during that period.

The competition, meanwhile, recognized the best visual storytellers from every global region, was launched by the UNWTO ahead of its 24th General Assembly.

The DOT said video entries were judged based on the following categories:

•  “Tourism and the Decade of Action” – Shows how the tourism sector is advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through references to one or several of the 17 Global Goals.
•  “Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism” – Shows remarkable examples that showcase the human face of tourism and make clear the positive social impact the sector can have through generating opportunities for all.

This was the second time this year that the Philippines earned a citation in a UNWTO-backed competition.

Another UNWTO recognition

Early this month, Barangay Bojo in Aloguinsan, in Cebu bagged UNWTO’s best tourism village award.

The community in Bojo, is famous for its river, hills, underwater natural resources, mangroves, birds and responsible locals.

Its main tourism activity is the Bojo River Eco-Cultural Tour managed by the Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association or BAETAS and supported by the municipality of Aloguinsan.

Puyat called the community’s work and remarkable as she welcomed the local suburb’s citation.

"A local destination being inducted into the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Program on its pilot year is a testament to the Philippines' commitment to sustainable tourism development from the national level down to the grassroots," Puyat said on December 4.

"The wealth of our natural resources and unmatched hospitality remains our key strength as we strive for the reopening of the industry to international travelers," she added.

Tourism Officer-in-Charge-Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso and Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe Jones Lhuiller received the award in Madrid on December 2 on behalf of the Philippines.

The UN tourism agency’s initiative recognized 44 villages from 32 countries that “stood out for their natural and cultural resources as well as for their innovative and transformative actions and commitment to tourism development in line with the sustainable development goals or SDGs.