To usher in the domestic tourism campaign this holiday season, the Department of Tourism (DoT) and its attached agency, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), launched “Pasko Na!,” an audio-visual presentation (AVP) promoting traditional Filipino Christmas practices through Filipino composer Ryan Cayabyab’s original music.
“Mr. Cayabyab’s festive music helps us push our domestic tourism campaign further by depicting our rich culture, and highlighting the spirit of Bayanihan that has kept us strong and united as Filipinos through this pandemic,’’ Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
The Christmas AVP was released last Wednesday during the eighth session of the TPB Weekly Members’ Chat.
Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap and Tangub City Mayor Jennifer Tan of Misamis Occidental shared how local Christmas traditions in the country are celebrated in Bohol and Tangub.
Yap presented “Kasadya sa Bohol,” his flagship Christmas project to commemorate the Nativity Scene in various interpretations using indigenous materials and crafts in the various municipalities of Bohol.
Tan showcased Tangub’s Christmas Symbols Festival, touted as the longest running Christmas festival in the country, in which illuminated figures of iconic international landmarks can be seen in its Christmas Village.
“DoT-TPB takes on the vital responsibility to help lighten and lift the mood of Filipinos this Yuletide season. Although the pandemic has altered the means of celebrating festivities, the whole campaign reminds us that the Filipino Christmas spirit will always be celebrated, and will always be in our homes,” Puyat added.