THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Our column last week was published amid a full-blown controversy regarding the tourism slogan recently launched by the Department of Tourism and the alleged use of videos of tourist destinations in other countries by a production house in the video which accompanied the launch.
Many netizens took to social media to raise a howl against the apparent “carelessness” or “mental dishonesty” involved in the alleged use of stock videos which could mislead viewers into thinking that the exotic places shown in the video were located in the Philippines when, in fact, they are not.
Unfortunately, Secretary Christina Frasco had to “disengage” with the advertising agency which allegedly put the controversial video together. It was a surgical move that must have been deemed necessary by the leadership of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to enable the tourism marketing campaign to move on.
The choice of “Love the Philippines,” however, has remained an object of criticism by some of our countrymen who thought that the new tourism slogan was either inappropriate or simply unnecessary. There are already existing slogans that can simply be relaunched, critics point out. Why fix the wheel if it is not broken, argue some others.
Our view is that the slogan and the DOT may have been dragged into an unnecessary controversy. Secretary Frasco had already said that no taxpayer money had been spent on the creation of the video in question. We presume that the agency which came out with “Love the Philippines” has likewise not been paid with public funds. That being the case, since the people’s money is safe, there appears to be no further need to keep the debate going.
We may have also put too much importance on the role of a “tourism slogan.”
We believe that it is not the “slogan” that brings in visitors. We can craft the wittiest or wisest taglines, but great copywriting is not the secret to the success of a tourism program.
We believe that the secret is in these three elements: experience, expressions of support and expectations consistently met.
Simply put, the precious tourist pesos and dollars come in because of the pleasant and memorable experiences visitors have and which they, in turn, tell others about. Those who hear their testimonials, in turn, visit the place to find out for themselves. If their expectations based on the earlier testimonials are met, they, too, share their pleasant and unforgettable experience with others.
This is called “social proof.” It works through word-of-mouth. It is founded on the principle that people rely more on what they hear from people they trust than what they see in paid advertisements.
We hardly see France advertise its tourist destinations. We do not know of any French tourism campaign slogan. Yet, based on the most recent data, it is the country most visited by tourists. Some 118 million tourists went to France last year, bringing in $37 billion in tourist receipts. For generations, those who have gone to France and posed in front of the Eiffel Tower shared their experiences with others. It has now become the dream of millions of Earth’s inhabitants of successive generations to “see it for themselves.”
On second spot is Mexico which garnered less than half of the tourist arrivals that France got.
It is interesting that the last time Mexico launched a global tourism campaign was in 2017, and used the slogan “A World of Its Own.” The slogan was not conceived by a creative team working on a vacuum. It was the result of the listening process that the Mexican tourism office did. The slogan was a summary of the experience of those who have come to Mexico – the very words they would have used to tell others about their experience.
It appears the best way to “sell” a destination is to get those who have been there to share with the world the delight they have experienced and invite others to experience the same.
This is true even in local tourism. Many of the top places in our country frequented by one-day visitors hardly have to do any promotion. Examples are Antipolo City, Lucban in Quezon Province, Tagaytay City, and Manaoag in Pangasinan province.
Tourists come to these places to enjoy the food, the sights, the climate, and the satisfaction of their spiritual needs. Antipolo City is the country’s top pilgrimage site and is also the favorite of bikers. Pilgrims in droves also flock daily to Manaoag to pray before the Patroness of that place. Every day, some tourists pose and pause to pray before the statue of our Lord in Lucban’s “Kamay ni Hesus.”
These daily tourist arrivals boost local businesses. Their pleasant and unforgettable experience becomes the basis of a continuing marketing campaign run not by the local governments but by the very people who have fallen in love with these places.
Our view is that we must focus on sharpening the pleasant experience of our visitors rather than on bickering about a slogan. We can begin by making sure that the first impressions are both delightful and unforgettable. This will inevitably include their experience in our airports, in the accommodations, and in the places they will visit. It looks like in tourism, the saying “first impressions last” is true.
There are more than enough social media platforms for delighted tourists to share their pleasant and unforgettable experiences. We must focus on making sure that they will have more than enough of those experiences to share and post.
Let’s make them fall in love with the Philippines through their experiences, rather than through a slogan.
(For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.)