THE Tourism department launched on Monday, Independence Day, a new tourism campaign highlighting the Filipinos’ warmth and hospitality.
The department dropped its popular “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign and replaced it with the new campaign with the theme “Experience the Philippines.”
“When you’re with Filipinos, life is better, says the key message of the campaign launched during the simultaneous flag-raising ceremonies nationwide.
The minute-long clip “Sights” shows a Japanese retiree named “M. Uchimura” enjoying island-hopping in the Hundred Islands of Pangasinan, dancing with the locals at the Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao, riding an all-terrain vehicle in the Paoay Sand Dunes, and enjoying a snack on the cobblestoned Calle Crisologo in Vigan.
“Here, you don’t have to see the sun to discover radiance; you don’t have to see colors to experience vibrance; you don’t have to see smiles to know you are safe; you don’t have to see to feel you are home, says Uchimura in a voice-over.
Towards the end of the commercial, Uchimura, who wears a hat and sunglasses, takes out his walking stick to navigate Calle Crisologo and reveals he is blind.
According to Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, the commercial goes beyond featuring the country’s top destinations but, more importantly, it encourages tourists to experience the Philippines to know how it is to be a Filipino.
“We are shifting our focus in our promotional campaign toward the unique experiences that each destination could offer and Filipino hospitality and security,” Teo said.
“The basic elements of fun remains as it is truly the Filipinos who make the total tourism experience fulfilling and memorable. The heart and essence of the tourism thrust is the people.”
The commercial depicts the true story of a retiree who may have been handicapped by blindness but then experienced the joy of Filipino hospitality during his memorable stay in the Philippines.
It is the second of a series of advertisements that the department will roll out in the coming months and will be shown internationally on television and its roadshows.