Northstar

V I E W F R O M T H E T O P THE HEAD OF THE TOURISM PROMOTIONS BOARD OF THE PHILIPPINES (TPB) IS TAKING A NOVEL APPROACH IN SELLING THE PHILIPPINES THE BEST WAY HE KNOWS HOW: THROUGH FILM. Cesar Montano is no stranger to film—he is a multi-award winning actor, director and producer, and has been a respected pillar in the Philippine entertainment industry for more than two decades before he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of TPB. Now, he brings this background to the front and center as head of the country's tourism marketing and promotions agency. Montano wants to create a compelling campaign to promote the Philippines as a must-visit destination. This means generating growth in key markets and opening new ones. He is also focusing on emerging destinations around the Philippines, on what he calls "unexplored frontiers," that are slowly being developed on the back of the Philippine government's massive infrastructure development program. Montano is spearheading TPB's campaign to boost the MICE sector as more hotels open in the next three years. He believes that the Philippines will be a highly competitive MICE destination, given its built-in advantages such as manpower quality and variety of attractions. On top of it all, Montano wants to correct the image of the Philippines, from that of a chaotic and socially disparaged country to a vibrant and diverse destination. And he believes that film is a powerful tool to promote the Philippines not only as a tourist destination but also a nation on the move and on the way up. Film is also about storylines and images, Montano says. What better way to promote the Philippines than through the myriad storylines and images of the country's thousands of island. For Montano, film is an excellent platform to get the destination's narrative out. After all, film has been a recognized medium for promoting destinations all over the world for the past decades. Hollywood, Bollywood, Hong Kong, and the world's other great entertainment capitals have used breathtaking backdrops and stirring scripts to create film classics. Montano firmly believes the Philippines can be competitive globally if it puts in the framework for enticing international filmmakers to consider the country as a top choice in Asia. In line with this, Montano plans to tap influencers not only from the tourism industry but from the local and international entertainment industry as well to spread the word. He is certainly no stranger to filmmaking; he says he "talks the talk and walks the walk," which makes it easy for him to create a conducive environment for the "right people" to take a serious look at the Philippines. Montano plans to come up with policy that can provide a set of incentives that the local and international entertainment industry can build on similar to incentives that other destinations provide to filmmakers. He also wants to work more closely with local groups like the Film Development Council of the Philippines to get them to be stakeholders in the tourism industry. Montano knows that film can capture the essence of a destination and its people in a way that no other medium can. His background has given him insights on the business side of entertainment— concerns such as distribution and marketing. And now, as TPB COO, he says he has found a deeper understanding and appreciation of how the Philippines can be promoted globally. As the lights grow brighter for Philippine tourism, Montano has begun to shoot his obra maestra (masterpiece). IN THE LIMELIGHT Film is also about storylines and images. What better way to promote the Philippines than through the myriad storylines and images of the country's thousands of island. 4 WWW.TRAVELWEEKLY-ASIA.COM NOV 2017

• Cover