THE Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Department of Tourism (DOT) has finally released its much-anticipated video campaign, which is intended to attract more foreign visitors to travel to the Philippines in 2015.
Entitled, “15 Ways to Have Fun in 2015,” the 2.16-minute video produced by advertising firm BBDO Guerrero Proximity, was released via YouTube over the weekend and racked up over 12,000 views by Sunday afternoon. The video was also being shared via Twitter and Facebook since its release.
It shows how ordinary activities like learning new dance steps, taking a history lesson and watching a concert would be more fun when done in the Philippines.
Using cut-to-cut video clips and still photos, with quote inserts from well-known international travel publications praising the country, the video shows, for instance, that dancing would be more fun when done in the 800-year-old Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo; or a history lesson would be fun “in a classroom that has more than four walls,” backed up by images of Intramuros, Manila. Also included are photos and video of major destinations in the country, like Boracay, El Nido, Davao, etc.
In a text message to the BusinessMirror, TPB COO Domingo Ramon Enerio III said: “We will share the [two-minute video] virally but the TV [commercial] will be aired on global TV.”
He said the new TVC based on the two-minute “15 ways” video, will start airing in November in both local and international TV networks like CNN, BBC, MTV, AFC (Asian Food Channel) and Euronews. He declined to say until when the TVCs would
be aired, but expectedly this would last until 2015.
In a previous interview, Enerio said they will bring the VPY 2015 campaign to several international travel fairs, but thought using CNN and other international networks would not be a judicious use of TPB resources. (See, “DOT unit to take campaign for Visit Philippines Year 2015 to the world,” in the BusinessMirror, Sept. 11, 2014.)
If approved by Congress, the TPB will receive a P1.6-billion promotions budget in 2015. A major component of this promotions budget will go to the marketing of VPY 2015. This year, the TPB received P555 million from the Department of Budget and Management, a portion of which is already funding the initial campaign for VPY 2015.
VPY 2015 was launched on September 4 at the SMX Convention Center, before a large gathering of foreign travel buyers.
“VPY2015 will feature a calendar of events and activities that are an exciting mix of all the outstanding work of the Filipino people in painting and the graphic arts, cinema, performance art to include music, dance and theater arts, as well as the unveiling of many more historic treasures, natural wonders and unforgettable adventures,” Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. said.
TPB enjoined private tour operators, travel agencies, and others from tourism sector to register their activities at its newly created microsite https://phl2015.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/.
The DOT is targeting to attract 8.2 million foreign tourists to visit the Philippines next year, generating tourism receipts of P350.4 billion. It also seeks to add 6.3 million jobs in the tourism sector by 2015.
This year, the DOT-TPB began the second phase of their Philippines branding campaign, promoting several major destinations to overseas markets via billboards, streamers, buses and taxis, etc. These destinations include Manila, Boracay, Cebu and Davao.
TVCs featuring these destinations were shared via social media and international TV networks airing in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Europe.
Formerly the Philippine Conventions and Visitors Corp., the TPB was created by the Tourism Act of 2009 and envisions the Philippines to be among the top destinations in the world by 2020.