Albay adopts own tourism sales brand

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Albay has adopted its own tourism marketing brand, just as the Department of Tourism has its “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign line.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said their adopted new sales pitch is “Indulge yourself in warm Albay!” through which they hope to further consolidate their recent tourism gains.

Albay posted a 49 percent hike in tourist arrivals in 2012, with a 23 percent growth in the foreign tourists sector.

The new tourism call now goes full throttle as Albay gears up for its month-long Daragang Magayon Festival 2013 this coming April to further consolidate its recent tourism gains and its marketing success at the March 6-10 Internationale Tourismus-Börse or ITB-Berlin Tourism Fair in Germany.

The full message:  â€œIndulge yourself in warm Albay! Warm people, hot and spicy food and tropical ambience.”

Salceda said Daragang Magayon Festival 2013 will be their cultural epiphany as the new tourism giant of Luzon.

“We are now being marketed abroad, so let’s not disappoint our visitors. Albayanos are a great people, so let’s show them what we’ve got. And they’ll come back again and again,” he told his festival organizers.

This year’s festival features a three-fold significance for Albay: First, the ITB-Berlin gains where the province was so far the first LGU featured in that world class tourism fair; second, Albay’s 49 percent tourism growth in 2012; and third, Magayon Festival, now among the top five festivals in the country has been renamed Daragang Magayon Festival, following the remarkably successful staging of its ballet version  at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last February.

Albay’s ITB-Berlin’s break is considered a major milestone for the province. The Berlin event is the largest travel fair in the world, visited by some 170,000 visitors, 113,000 of them trade visitors, and 11,000 represent firms from 180 countries.  

The newly formed Albay-Masbate-Sorsogon (Almasor) Tourism Alliance was also highlighted as a fresh concept in Berlin . Organized by Salceda as chair of the Bicol Regional Development Council, Almasor bundles up the tourism potentials of the three provinces and targets 500,000 foreign tourists in the next five years.