InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
Randi Alampay is a former professor of the UP Asian Institute of Tourism. He is currently program manager of LGSP-LED, a DILG-Canada International Development Agency (CIDA) program that promotes local economic development through tourism and agri development.
"It's more fun in the Philippines!" The Philippines' new tourism slogan is our answer to "Malaysia. Truly Asia."
I like it.
I've always liked the "Philippines. More than the usual" tagline. But this new slogan takes it to that Next Step. It's More Fun is not just about being different. It makes a point about why unusual is good. Because, it is more fun!
To push this message, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez wants to harness the power of Filipino social networks. That's a no-brainer. Whether it's to vote for Ms. Philippines in the Ms. Universe pageant or to get the Puerto Princesa Underground River counted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, Filipinos have proven to be a powerful tweeting, texting, Internet-voting army. Just give them a cause that they can be passionate about.
Jimenez has a message that should resonate with Filipinos. When expressed in Filipino - "Mas masaya sa Pilipinas" – it underlies a wistful yearning that tugs at and excites anybody who has ever left home. Just recall the wave of emotions evoked by Coca-Cola's online video about OFW’s coming home for Christmas.
It's More Fun is also a sly marketing message (and I mean that as a compliment) in that it builds on our strengths while simultaneously minimizing some glaring weaknesses. This is the argument that Jimenez has been making since Day One. There are so many things that still need fixing, such as airports, hotels, and highways. But we don't need to wait until everything is all spic and span to make a splash in tourism. Even as we work on improving the World's Worst Airport to Sleep In, Jimenez argues that we can or should still go ahead and bring in the tourists.
The new slogan turns the country's infrastructure problem on its head. It says that we don't need 6-star hotels to have a good time now. We can rough it along country roads and still have fun. Heck, we can be in the middle of a revolution and still have a blast (so to speak).
We argue that our transportation and hotel facilities may not compare to those of Singapore or Thailand, but we have jewels in Boracay, Puerto Princesa, and Banaue. Inevitably, somebody points out that beaches, underground rivers, and yes, rice terraces can be found almost anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Then we protest, "Ah…but their sand isn't as fine as Boracay’s. Their river isn't as long as PPUR. Their terraces aren't as high and extensive as Banaue's."
With "It's More Fun in the Philippines", Jimenez is saying that those arguments are no longer valid. Modern tourists are looking for experiences, not just sights. In tourism, it's no longer about who has the prettier view. As Jimenez told Stella Arnaldo of InterAksyon.com, Filipinos have a "special gift for transforming what is already a beautiful place into an unforgettable special place. You take two identical islands, put Filipinos in one, it's going to be more fun there."
In other words, "Mas maganda (more beautiful)" is nice. But "mas masaya (more fun)" is, as we like to say, more betterer.
I've travelled to Bohol more than 15 times in the past 2 years, for work and pleasure. For me, Bohol is not just about the Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, nor the beaches of Panglao Island. Believe it or not, it's also about waiting for your flight at Tagbilaran Airport.
That small, crowded, lucky-if-the-aircon-works terminal makes NAIA 1 look like a 5-star facility. Until the entertainment walks in. A trio of musicians – two guitars and one singer with a pair of maracas. All of them blind.
They sing an eclectic mix of contemporary songs for about 45 minutes per set. Depending on the song, the singing ranges from competent to very impressive. Then it happens. At some point in their set, you begin to notice the person sitting across the aisle tapping his toes to the beat. The mother beside you sits up and smiles, while humming along. Then suddenly, it seems as if all the Filipinos are singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" while bemused Caucasians look at each other and grin. Then just as suddenly, you're all boarding the plane. The singers' parting words echoing in your minds "Balik sa Bohol, balik." (Come back to Bohol. Come back.)
Experiences like this are key to the campaign's long-term success. Promoting the Philippines as a fun destination is easy. The challenge will be to deliver on that promise of fun. And in DOT's vision of the Philippines as a must-experience destination in Asia, ordinary Filipinos are the most critical ingredients.
The unstated idea at the heart of our new "More Fun in the Philippines" slogan is that Filipinos are the must-meet, must-join, must-have-fun-with people of Asia. To mix marketing and pop culture metaphors, Jimenez has searched for the country’s unique selling proposition. And it is us.
DOT has issued a put-up-or-shut-up challenge to itself as well as to ordinary Filipinos who have long claimed to be the most hospitable people in the world. For the campaign to succeed, Filipinos must truly embrace the core idea of It's More Fun. We need to be first in line at having fun.
DOT has been inviting us ("Tara na, byahe tayo!") to not be strangers in our own hometown ("Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan.") In this spirit, we need to be more than just hosts or social marketers. We need to be tourists as well. We need to be co-travellers who share experiences, celebrate differences, and have fun with our visitors.
So go ahead. Tweet, share, and hashtag DOT's new slogan for the whole Internet to see. But also start making plans to travel. Soon, and more often. With family, with friends, and even with strangers. Mon Jimenez is correct. It's more fun in the Philippines. Because we make it so.
