Tourism via Hollywood

It seems so much weight is being given to the movie “The Bourne Legacy”, and the scenes shot here in the Philippines. Just recently, a new preview of the movie has hit theaters, showing a motorcycle chase scene in the familiar streets of Manila, to the delight of the local moviegoers. There is just something about seeing a place you know or actually been to in a movie, a Hollywood one at that. No less than Palace officials are hopeful that the movie would promote tourism in the country, with the attraction and popularity of the Bourne series supposedly guaranteeing it. Much like locations featured in other popular movies.

I really hope so. It seems every time the Philippines is featured in the news, it is always bad news. Being featured in a Hollywood film should do wonders for the country, especially for Palawan, which is always beautiful, if I may say. We have so many wonderful and beautiful places and beaches that will rival the best in the world. We only need the exposure. Something the Department of Tourism lacks the budget for. Indeed, I see so many ads on cable channels of Malaysia, Thailand, India and Hong Kong. I rarely see one of the Philippines.

But having ads of “It’s more fun in the Philippines” placed on London’s iconic taxis and buses is a start. Refreshing indeed to finally see the country being featured in far away places. Perhaps timed to the official visit of PNoy to the UK? Still, it is hoped that the ads pay off.

If the Chinese will no longer visit the country because of our little disagreement as to who really owns Scarborough Shoal and practically the whole of the West Philippine Sea, we should look to other potential tourists. Asia is fast becoming popular economically and leisurely, being semi-immune or isolated from the troubles of Europe and the Americas. It’s amazing how we have survived the crises of 2008 and current ones, because of the resilience of the whole of Asia. Yes, China is in Asia so we have to include them.

But I do hope we don’t get a nasty surprise when the whole movie comes out. The fear that the country may be presented in a bad light is in the minds of the pessimists. The unsavory and non-edifying comments of Clair Danes about her experience in Manila is still fresh and sore in the minds of many, persona non grata notwithstanding.

Tourism is one of the programs that President Aquino wishes to promote in his administration. I had a conversation with a staff of the DOT, and he said we just could not compete with the budgets of other countries. Explains the reason for the dearth of ads about the Philippines on cable channels. I guess we also have to allocate a budget for promoting the country, and the defense of it.

If the Chinese will no longer visit us, then we should make sure they don’t invade us either.