DOT readies special Christmas event

MANILA, Philippines - The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is preparing a special Christmas event that will honor and entertain the balikbayans, or the homecoming foreign-based Filipinos.

Dubbed as “Pasko sa Paraiso: A Pinoy Homecoming Christmas Special,” the event being organized by the DOT through the TPB will be held at the Greenbelt 3 Park, Ayala Center, Makati from 6 to 10 p.m. on Dec. 16.

The event forms part of the Pinoy Homecoming campaign targeted at the millions of overseas Filipinos with foreign nationalities who can jack up the volume of the country’s tourist arrivals.

“Many of them are second- and third-generation Filipinos born and raised in foreign lands,” said TPB officer-in-charge and DOT Assistant Secretary for Planning and Promotions Domingo Ramon Enerio III.

“So we have to reach out to them to make them return to their roots and feel warmly welcomed through an event particularly designed and prepared for them,” Enerio said.

Highlights of the event include a special tribute for the balikbayans, a simbang gabi (evening or midnight Mass), a lantern parade featuring a children’s choir and Banda Kawayan (bamboo musical ensemble), and a grand Christmas concert by the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the Angelos and Rachel Gerodias.

There will also be online registration, food and promo booths, with special gifts and premium prizes to be given to lucky balikbayans.

Sponsored by Globe Telecom and supported by Ayala Malls, the event is expected to distinguish Philippine Christmas from that of the rest of the world in the eyes of foreign nationals with Filipino blood, thus reinforcing their positive perception of the country with a colorful and exciting experience.

“That wonderful experience can make their homecoming a yearly activity while increasing the number of returning Filipinos exponentially,” Enerio said.

Preceding that event, however, is the Nov. 29 ceremonial unveiling of the Pinoy Homecoming hospitality counter at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga, followed by a program at the nearby Fontana Convention Centre, with other guests coming from the Central Luzon Tourism Council, media, and the ranks of local government and airport officials.

The airport hospitality counters have been put up to welcome returning Filipinos with VIP treatment that includes special discounts through the Balikbayan Plus Card, assistance for local tours, and other privileges and freebies from Globe Telecom and other supporting tourism establishments.

The TPB and Globe Telecom have installed the hospitality counters at the NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and at the Davao International Airport, and will open similar facilities at the Mactan (Cebu) and Subic international airports before yearend.

“These hospitality counters, including the one to be put up in Clark, will undergo further enhancement next year to expand their services,” Enerio said. 

Also to be expanded next year is the scope of the TPB’s digital marketing through its website www.pinoyhomecoming.ph and its partnership with sponsors.

There will also be online tour reservation and booking, production of new promotional materials, and a partnership with Asian Journal, the biggest Filipino publication in North America.

Started in December 2010, this DOT-TPB-Globe Telecom campaign has gained commitments of support from leaders of various Filipino communities abroad, the latest coming from the participants in the Global Summit of Filipinos at the Diaspora Conference held in Manila recently.