By Betheena Unite and Dom Galeon  Crowd-sourcing or getting the participation of Filipino travelers online will be the Department of Tourism’s (DOT’s) biggest tool in promoting Philippine tourism anew.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat stressed this at the launch of the refreshed and renewed “It’s more fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign ad at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila on Monday.

“We are coming into 2019 with a renewed and refreshed sense of purpose, with more and more travelers conscious of their ecological footprint, the cultures, and experiences they are consuming, and wanting to know how they can give back. The time is ripe for a repurposing of the word fun. After all, working with what we already have is the essence of this building,” the DOT secretary continued, pointing to how the National Museum of Natural History is the most appropriate venue for this relaunch. The renewed tourism campaign slogan aims to attract more domestic and foreign tourists through a wide online promotion that uses the photographs and videos posted real-time by travelers in their social media accounts. “I believe in continuity. Other countries never changed their tourism slogans. I believe because it works and the Philippines has embraced the hashtag (slogan). We made it our own,” Puyat said. After the Philippines made bold moves last year by closing the world-renowned Boracay Island for a six-month rehabilitation towards sustainable tourism, Puyat said the country now moves to use the popularity of the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign to further promote the country’s tourism. Puyat said the “new Philippine tourism ad is 100 percent crowd-sourced.” ‘Be part of the fun’ According to Puyat, the popularity of the campaign has helped encouraged millions to post their photos, videos, and comments online to show why it’s more fun in the Philippines, prompting them to take advantage on the growing numbers of online posts using the slogan. The new campaign drive, she said, “uses only real images, footage, and reviews shared online by tourists to tell stories that are truly authentic.” “It’s a 100-percent crowd-sourced campaign made entirely by people who have experienced firsthand why it’s more fun in the Philippines,” Puyat said. Puyat also invites Filipinos and foreigners to “be part of the fun,” calling tourists to share more of their photos, videos, and reasons why they like the country with #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines hashtag online in hopes of getting featured in upcoming advertising materials. But tourists engaged and be part of the fun, Puyat reminded them to be responsible tourists. “I just wish that all tourists – domestic or foreign – are responsible tourists,” the secretary appealed. Refreshed logo design The DOT introduced a new design system that is rooted in traditional motifs and colors, which was also used as the font of the slogan. The custom-made font is called “Barabara.” Puyat said it has been created and made free-for-use drawing on the Filipino style of hand-painted lettering, which can be downloaded online. “The new campaign is grounded in sustainability – zero commissioned footage equals a smaller carbon footprint. Instead, the supplied images were recognized through contributions made towards the preservation of the Philippines’ natural resources,” Puyat said. “By using 100 percent crowd-sourced material, everyone who took part has helped create the country’s most sustainable tourism campaign to date,” Puyat added. No more tourist destination closure After Boracay closure, Puyat confirmed that they are not looking to close more tourist destinations in the country for rehabilitation. She said that they have recently met with mayors and private sectors to discuss the sustainable tourism efforts of the government. “We are currently rehabilitating Panglao, El Nido, soon Siargao, but there is no closure,” Puyat said. The secretary added that they have given the local government units and local private establishments six months to comply with environmental laws. “Now, if they did not comply after six months, then we will determine the next step. Sana ‘wag na nilang hintayin na mangyari yung hindi dapat mangyari (I hope they won’t wait for something that should not happen, happens),” Puyat said. As part of the refreshed tourism campaign, Puyat also revealed that they will meet with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray to tap her to promote the Philippines, as she had previously expressed intention to be the country’s tourism ambassadress.