What's next for Mr. Universe Tourism 2023 Erik Visser?

CEBU, Philippines —  Newly-crowned Mr. Universe Tourism 2023 Erik Lennart Visser appeared on myTV's OpenLine News Forum on March 28 with his manager Dexter Alazas to discuss his win in the pageant in Bali, Indonesia, and his upcoming plans that include passing over his Ginoong Pilipinas crown.

Summertime already hit the Southeast Asian countries he went to which Visser struggled during the competition. “The hardest part was the heat and humidity in Bali because we had to do the activities and photoshoots under the sun. It was so hot in and it’s summertime just like here so yeah the humidity was killing me,”he began.

When asked if he felt intimidated by any of the contestants, Visser disclosed it was Mr. Spain Francisco Jose Merida Moyano. “He had a great physique and while he spoke Spanish most of the time, he was so eloquent so he was my biggest competitor. It’s quite a big surprise that during the finals, the first-runner up was [not Mr. Spain].”

Mr. Vietnam Hu?nh Võ Hoàng Son would end up taking the first runner-up spot while Mr. Spain finished second runner-up.

Sustainable tourism

Visser already has plans as Mr. Universe Tourism, including promoting sustainable tourism in the Philippines. “One of the things I said when I answered my question [in the Q&A segment] was that we should model [Philippine tourism] after other countries who are successful with their tourism,” he said.

Visser noted that the Philippines’ current tourism is already good as it has utilized influencers and social media as tools, but added there needs more work to boost these efforts.

“I think we are going in the right direction.   What successful tourism spots like Palawan and Boracay are doing, we can do that on a national scale,” he added.

Visser said that he “will be doing more sustainable tourism [projects] promoting the Philippines.” While this is yet to be finalized, he has a specific project with Mr. Universe Tourism. “We will be having a travel vlog in Kinabalu, Malaysia which is part of the [competition’s] program,” he revealed.

Before heading to Bali, Visser and Alazas met with Cebu City Councilor Dondon Hontiveros to discuss plans for promoting tourism in Cebu City, should he win the competition. “One of the things that he advised us is to promote Cebu as a whole, not just [solely focusing on] the Singapore-like city story that we are having with Mayor Michael Rama but the overall heritage of Cebuano culture,” Alazas said.

Alazas also shared that the Cebu City Tourism Commission already has their support for Visser. “Erik will be part of the long-term activities of the commission as a whole, particularly in Cebu City and we look forward to their support,” said Alazas.

Next Ginoong Pilipinas

Visser is ready to find his successor for Ginoong Pilipinas to represent the Philippines in Mr. Universe Tourism 2024 in Bali -- and he is looking for a candidate who is “eloquent, well-spoken and good-looking” though he noted that these shouldn’t be the sole attributes.

“What sets Ginoong Pilipinas apart is that they don’t merely focus on physical attributes. They tried to be [one of] the leading male pageants in the Philippines and they are looking for people to promote sustainable tourism who have a voice and a vision of representing the Philippines on the international stage.”

Visser’s run in the competition provides a blueprint for future candidates of the competition, according Alazas.

“Erik has set the standards now for Ginoong Pilipinas. We had talks with agents, management, and modeling agencies and [the consensus was] it’s hard to to off Erik because of his total package and impact," said Alazas, executive producer of Ginoong Pilipinas 2023 which will take place in Cebu City from May 10-20.

"But who knows...this year it’s going to be a different look, a different Ginoong Pilipinas that is going to be a good representative as it varies every year.”