Hoping It’s More Fun in the Philippines

It probably hasn’t made it out to the rest of the world yet, but most pilipinos have seen the release of the Department of Tourism’s new ad campaign. They want you to know, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”.

From what I’ve gathered, from my vantage point on the other side of the world from the Philippines, the reaction has been mixed. Considering the last campaign, “Pilipinas kay Ganda”, was universally panned, this has to be an improvement (they hope). No one outside of the Philippines knew what that slogan meant, of course.

It appears that the campaign is getting a lot of press, especially within the social networks (you know who they are). Not only are there numerous take offs of the ads, some of which are quite funny, it seems there is the issue (again) of the originality of the slogan. It has been noted that Switzerland used the same slogan about 60 some years ago.

I’m not personally concerned about the validity of the originality of the slogan. No, I have more concerns about how it’s promoted (the quality and placement of the ads) and even more than that, delivering on the promise of the ads. To me that’s the make or break it.

I’m all for promoting the tourism industry in the Philippines. It’s a great first step. Delivering on that promise is what will matter in the end. If you get the tourists to come over, and they aren’t happy with their experience, not only will they not come back, you can be sure they will tell at least 10 other people of that experience.

I’ve mentioned before my concerns for the traveler or tourist in the Philippines. Almost everyone is aware that Ninoy Aquino International Airport needs attention and upgrading. The first impression left from that airport is not a good one. I was there recently and I will admit that was not as bad as I had remembered, but to a person if you ask about their experience at the airport in Manila, you will get a negative response.

Related to that is the fact that there are so few international flights to and from any other city. Davao only services Singapore at this time. Cebu goes to a few more – Busan, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore and possibly Tokyo, but almost every tourist is going to pass through Ninoy unless they are from one of those areas. There has been talk of this improving with the Open Skies Policy, but so far international travel outside of Manila remains very limited.

More basic things like the ability to access your money from ATMs in the Philppines and the fact that traveler checks aren’t usually accepted, make it more difficult for the traveler to function there.

Internet access is also expected for travelers now. I do think that has gotten much better in the last 7 years that I’ve been traveling there. My trip last fall was by far the easiest for me in that regard. Internet access was not difficult to find. The quality of the connection varied, but that is improving, too.

There is much that is appealing about the Philippines. The people, the beautiful white beaches, the tropical climate, the history and the culture. The cost of a comparable vacation could be much less in the Philippines, sans the plane ticket. These, and so much more, are all great reasons for a visit. Maybe even a retirement Let’s hope that this campaign is just the start, and delivering on the promise is the commitment.