SB19, BINI as tourism ambassadors hailed as ‘a very smart move’

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz applauds the recent decision of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to launch P-pop Kings SB19 and P-pop girl group BINI as the country’s newest tourism ambassadors.

“Especially among the Chinese youth. I think that is a very smart move on our part, having them as ambassadors will, by association, inspire many Chinese to learn more about the Philippines, discover what the country has to offer, and visit the Philippines,” FlorCruz told The Philippine STAR in a recent exclusive sit-down interview.

Tourism Counselor Ireneo Reyes recalled the two P-pop groups’ influence in the Mainland.

“I think the BINI, they’ve been here in China in 2024. They attended one very popular reality show wherein they performed, I think, Pantropiko. Which is very popular. I think they have a lot of viewership during that time. And then on the other side, the SB19, they’re a very popular group here in China because of Douyin, which is the local TikTok. Their song, Gento, it’s very popular here and is being used as background music (by) some of those bloggers or KOLs, which they do some dance performance,” Reyes said.

“They are really known here in China,” he added. “So, we really have an opportunity for them to help us promote the Philippines here in China in terms of tourism.”

For Reyes, he believes that Filipino talent can help boost tourism and encourage Chinese nationals to make the Philippines their next travel destination.

“But I think the thing is, they also showcase the Filipino, you know, our musicality, which is one of our innate traits. That’s very popular in the world. So, we just showcase that we are really very friendly people and then our musicality to show our Chinese guests. Way to attract them to come and visit the Philippines,” Reyes noted.

If there is an opportunity, Reyes said that they are open to inviting SB19 and BINI to visit China to perform and showcase Filipino talent among Chinese nationals.

“And hopefully, if they can be able to have some opportunity, we can bring them here to China to be able to do some performance and be able to showcase the talents here in the market. That will go a long way for us, especially with this social media network right now that we can be able to reach a lot of Chinese consumers.”

It can be recalled that DOT officially named P-pop group SB19 last July 26 and fellow P-pop group BINI on July 3 as the tourism ambassadors aiming to promote Philippine culture, destinations and hospitality to international audiences.

This is after the two groups raised our flag on international stages, including SB19’s performance at “Lollapalooza” and “Summer Sonic” and BINI’s “Coachella” debut that made back-to-back history in the Philippine entertainment industry.