Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco revealed on Tuesday, May 16, that there would be an “enhanced tourism slogan” or country brand to replace “It’s more fun in the Philippines” in promoting the Philippines to the world.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)
During a Palace press briefing, the official brought the idea of coming up with a new slogan “as a country brand.”
“We are putting forth the best of the best of the Philippines to the world. Because it cannot be denied that we do give the world our best and while the Department of Tourism has not yet come out with an enhanced tourism slogan as that, as a country brand, I assure you, you’ll love it,” she said.
“There will be in the next few weeks. But we will make sure to engage in consultation with our tourism stakeholders first, as their opinions matter very much to us,” Frasco added.
Her remarks came after the public backlash on the viral ad campaign in the United Kingdom (UK) featuring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with the tagline “We give the world our best.”
Lawmakers and netizens criticized how the tagline “commodifies Filipinos.”
The DOT chief also said that the highlight of the new marketing strategy to promote the Philippines would be on the “heart and soul of the Filipino.”
This, she added, “is evident in our culture – our festivals, our food, the local products of our small and medium enterprises, our living cultural heritage, everything that makes us diverse and unique and a proud Filipino people that give us pride of place.”
The tourism slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines” was launched in 2012 under the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III and was sustained by the Duterte administration.