Northstar

8 | www.travelweekly-asia.com DESTINATION Philippines It's not only more fun in the Philippines – it's friendlier too The Philippines is inching its way to the six million arrivals mark, buoyed by the growth of hotel and airport facilities around the country. International arrivals grew by 11.3% to 5.97 million last year, half of that coming from East Asia. Key markets like the United States, Japan and China all posted growth last year, but South Korea is the new darling of Philippine tourism. South Korea arrivals last year reached 1.47 million, the first inbound market to breach the 1.4-million milestone. Agents say investments in marketing, and the expansion of flight services between Seoul and the Philippines are paying off. DOT hopes to sustain the growth, starting with a new slant to its By Bing J. Jaleco successful "It's more fun in the Philippines" marketing campaign: "When you're with Filipinos, you're with family", which tries to capture a prime asset – hospitality. "Everybody has beaches, everybody can go shopping, and you can eat anywhere. But it's the Filipinos that are different. We have to show that," Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in a media briefing. "Family" was conceptualised by advertising giant McCann Erickson. The first ad featuring travel blogger Jack Ellis in Surigao, a province in eastern Mindanao, aired during the 2017 Miss Universe coronation at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila. It was the first of three video ads produced by McCann. "The (campaign) should answer the question, 'Why is it more fun in the Philippines? And you focus on the traits of the Filipinos," Teo explained. Edwin Villanueva, general manager of Light Miles Travel, Inc., welcomes the new tagline. "We can probably look forward to a campaign that is going to focus on Filipino hospitality, and how we take care of our visitors in the country – friends and tourists alike. As they say, the essence of strategy is to find and deploy your unique strength in order to win. So I guess this is what DOT is trying to do," he said. Taking off: Airport developments Analysts are bullish over prospects for Philippine tourism, their optimism fuelled by the expansion of infrastructure. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has already unveiled five major airport projects in key regional centres. These regional airport projects are in Bacolod-Silay (Negros Occidential province), Davao, Iloilo, Laguindingan (Misamis Oriental province) and New Bohol (Panglao Island in Bohol province). The government had earlier approved the US$350-million upgrade of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The key airport development, however, will be the one for Metro Manila, which still accounts for more than half of arrivals to the country. In December 2016 alone, Metro Manila arrivals accounted for 68% of total arrivals. Cebu was second with 17.4%, followed by Kalibo in Aklan province – a gateway to Boracay SPECIAL REPORT: "Everybody has beaches, everybody can go shopping, and you can eat anywhere. But it's the Filipinos that are different." – Wanda Teo, DOT Secretary Photo Credit: iStockphoto METRO MANILA'S NEW OPENINGS AT A GLANCE • The Shangri-La at the Fort • Hotel 101 • Novotel Araneta • Conrad Manila, which added 1,842 rooms to the inventory. Other hotel projects are underway, including Grand Hyatt Manila, which are expected to boost hotel room supply by more than 8,000 by 2020. There's more fun in the Philippines at the Aliwan Fiesta. Philippine tourism wants visitors to celebrate with one big happy family.

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