Senators tell DOT: ‘Stick with ‘Love the Philippines’ slogan’

National

NO MORE slogan switch-ups.

Senators told the Department of Tourism (DOT) this, urging the agency to stick with “Love the Philippines.”

The call came during the DOT’s budget hearing on Monday, when Senate finance subcommittee chairman Erwin Tulfo questioned newly appointed Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay about the agency’s plans to promote the current tourism campaign.

Tulfo questioned the practice of changing the country’s tourism slogan with successive administrations, noting that the Philippines has cycled through several campaigns, including “Wow Philippines” and “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

“It’s like we’re the only country that changes its tourism slogan with each administration. There’s ‘Love,’ ‘More Love.’ There’s ‘Love-Love.’ There’s ‘It’s More Fun.’ There’s ‘Wow Philippines.’ I ask why?” Tulfo said, as quoted by Philstar.

He cited Malaysia’s “Malaysia, Truly Asia” as an example of a tourism campaign that has been maintained for years, and questioned why the Philippines could not similarly sustain a single tourism brand.

Tulfo said he saw no problem with the previous “Wow Philippines” campaign and questioned the rationale for replacing it. He also said he would not be surprised if the next administration sought to change “Love the Philippines.”

Senate finance committee chair JV Ejercito likewise backed the call for continuity in the country’s tourism branding.

“I agree to stick with one branding,” Ejercito said in the same report.

Ejercito also pointed to the logistical challenges involved in promoting tourism in the Philippines, an archipelago where foreign visitors often have to travel between destinations by air or sea. He contrasted this with neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, where tourists can travel between many destinations by land.

The DOT and its attached agencies have a proposed P4.029-billion budget for next year under the National Expenditure Program.(MyTVCebu)