DOT urged to consult the public for 'genuine rebrand' of tourism sector
MANILA, Philippines — Amid mixed reactions to the tourism department’s launch of the new country slogan, a House lawmaker has joined calls for the government to craft a fresh tourism campaign in consultation with the public.
Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay, 2nd District), chair of the House ways and means panel, said on Monday that the tourism department should revive the Duterte-era “Sulong” consultations to gather insights from the public for a “genuine rebrand and restart” of the tourism sector.
“Sulong Pilipinas” was an annual consultative conference under the Duterte administration that gathered input from citizens and business groups on various issues, many of which were socio-economic in nature.
“Let’s do Sulong Turismo. Let’s consult the stakeholders nationwide on the six As of tourism: Attractions, Accessibility, Amenities, Available Packages, Activities, and Ancillary Services. If I may add two particular points: Airport and Airlines. All our fiercest competitors have beautiful airports and top-tier airlines,” Salceda said.
DOT’s launch of the “Love the Philippines” tourism campaign on June 27 first drew criticism online over the perceived lackluster messaging of the new slogan. Then the ad agency it had contracted to create the campaign, DDB Philippines, came under fire for using non-original or stock footage from other countries in a video that the DOT publicized to promote the country.
RELATED: DOT terminates tourism branding campaign contract with DDB Philippines after use of stock footage
DOT has since terminated its contract with DDB after the agency publicly apologized for the incident and clarified that the video was only meant to be viewed by internal stakeholders.
Asked whether the agency will retain the “Love the Philippines” campaign, the DOT told reporters that these are "all they have for now."
Surveys, social listening basis for ‘Love the Philippines’ messaging
In an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source last week, Frasco said that the new campaign was crafted after the department conducted market research and surveys among tourists.
Frasco said that local market research has found that tourists have adopted a "changed traveler" mindset where they go on travels for "purposeful, substantial, immersive and authentic experiences and interactions with communities."
Frasco also cited "social listening numbers" that associated the Philippines with "the word love."
Aside from these, the tourism chief in her first 100 days at the helm of the tourism department conducted "listening tours" to determine the challenges faced by the sector. She vowed to become a "listening secretary" throughout her term.
RELATED: DOT chief marks first 100 days in office with listening tours
Moving forward
Salceda said that he will not join calls for Frasco to resign, and that instead, “the conversation should focus on ways forward.”
“I asked her to fire the consultant. She did. I asked her to correct mistakes and investigate internally. She did. I asked her to be more inclusive with destinations featured. She did. When we resume session in Congress, we will seek facts. She is open. We can disagree without malice,” Salceda said in a statement Tuesday.
“I will criticize openly, as needed. That’s my job as a legislator and a representative of my people. But after heated discussions, we must remain focus on solving problems," he added.
Immediately after the new campaign was unveiled, Salceda levied accusations against DOT for launching a promotional video that did not include clips of the Mayon Volcano, saying that the tourism department had snubbed Albay's contribution to the tourism industry.
Frasco responded by assuring Salceda that the promotional video — essentially a marketing campaign — was only the beginning. The tourism chief also vowed that DOT will continue its efforts to "promote equally" the different destinations in the Philippines. — Cristina Chi
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