‘I Love Philippines, Biyahe Na’ launched

Local tourists may soon be joining overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as postmodern patriots.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has teamed up with SMART Communications to launch a project that encourages Filipinos to visit local tourist destinations as proof that they love their country.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said the goal of the project called "I Love Philippines: Biyahe Na (Travel Now)!" is to generate local employment by promoting travel by foreign and Filipino tourists alike.

"Last year, six million Filipinos here traveled around the country. More than 400,000 people from North America visited us. I am very confident that with this campaign, we will be able to top that," he said during the launching of the project at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel in Pasay City last Friday night.

The new project complements the successful three-year-old "Wow! Philippines" campaign initiated by Senator and former tourism secretary Richard Gordon.

Durano said the first phase of the project will be the promotion of destinations for the upcoming summer season. The focus of the second phase of the project will be food and shopping during the rainy season, while the third phase, which will coincide with the Christmas holidays, will focus on people and culture.

Anastacio Martirez, SMART Personal Communications and Mobile Services head, said his company’s participation in the project was consistent with its corporate responsibility to the country.

"It is natural for us to work together. We’ve seen the results and we appreciate the continuing efforts of DOT to market the Philippines to the world," Martirez said.

SMART also took part in the earlier "Wow" campaign.

"We supported ‘Wow! Philippines’ when it began in 2001, and we witnessed how it generated jobs by inviting tourists," he said.

But the DOT isn’t limiting corporate sponsorship of the project to the cellular phone provider.

Durano said the DOT has also invited Jollibee, SM, Shell and Pfizer Phils. to take part in the next two phases of the campaign.

Expected to play a key role in the promotion is pop diva and celebrity endorser Regine Velasquez.

"We’re very fortunate that we have the beautiful face and beautiful voice of Regine Velasquez" for our campaign, Durano said.