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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Aklan solon's confidence in Frasco, DOT hasn't waned

Aklan solon's confidence in Frasco, DOT hasn't waned

Published Jul 7, 2023 11:47 am
Aklan 2nd district Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr.


A congressman from the home province of Boracay has trumpeted the "many accomplishments" of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its chief, Secretary Christina Frasco amid the "Love the Philippines" debacle. “The Department of Tourism has been making the Philippines proud with its multitude of accomplishments ever since Secretary Frasco took the helm and steered the country’s travel and tourism industry to economic recovery and development,” Aklan 2nd district Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. said in a statement late Friday afternoon, July 7. Haresco noted that in 2022, the country successfully breached its 1.7 million year-end target for international tourist arrivals, recording 2.65 million in total. This resulted to P208.96 billion or $3.68 billion in tourism revenue--a whopping 2465.75 percent increase from 2021. As of May 15, 2023, the DOT has already recorded 2,029,419 total foreign tourist arrivals, Haresco said. The target for 2023 is 4.8 million foreign visitors. “Through the DOT’s innovations and support, Boracay Island in the 2nd district of Aklan alone has reached its 1 million tourists mark mid-year and is expected to exceed its 1.8 million target by end of the year in hopes of contributing more to the country’s economic development,” the economist-solon noted. Known for its white sand beaches, Boracay is arguably the crown jewel of Philippine tourism. As of June 17, Boracay registered 1,040,847 tourists, consisting of 199,098 foreign visitors, 816,426 local tourists, and 25,323 overseas Filipino workers. “I put my confidence in Secretary Frasco and the DOT for their graceful and magnanimous vision with the new tourism campaign - #LoveThePhilippines, indeed our love letter to the world,” he said. Haresco also highlighted the international recognitions and awards received by the DOT under Frasco. As of February 2023, the Philippines has been nominated in two major awards under the Asia category of the 30th World Travel Awards (WTA). The Love the Philippines campaign has recently grabbed headlines, but for the wrong reasons. The new promotional video of the country under the campaign didn't feature any imagery of the famous Mayon Volcano--the Bicol region's top tourism draw. This caused Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda to call out the DOT. Shortly after, DDB Philippines, the agency contracted by DOT to create the promotional video, admitted to using stock footage from other countries in its work. This is a big no-no, since the entire point of the campaign is to promote Philippine tourism. In response, the DOT sacked the agency.

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Boracay Island Rep. Teodorico Haresco DOT Aklan Sec. Christina Frasco
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