WITH just a few weeks until the end of 2011, expectations are high at the Department of Tourism that its target of 3.7-million tourist arrivals for the year would be exceeded.
DOT data from January to October this year showed that about 3.2 million visitors arrived in the country, up 12 percent from 2.85 million last year. Of the figure, East Asia accounted for 1.6 million visitors, or 47.44 percent, of the total tourist arrivals. This was 17.71 percent higher than the figure for the same period in 2010.
In an interview, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said: “The tourists are slowly coming back from Hong Kong, in spite of what’s happened (i.e., hostage crisis). China is growing by leaps and bounds, also Russia. Korea is as strong as ever. Japan is slowly coming out of its [sluggishness] because it had problems [due to the earthquake and tsunami], and we’re hoping to get a bit from Taiwan.”
China, Korea and Japan accounted for more than 83 percent of the East Asian travelers to the Philippines,
according to the DOT data. North America contributed 604,226 tourists in the first 10 months of the year, and accounted for 19 percent of total visitors. The figure was up slightly by 5 percent from the same period in 2010.
“We’re confident we’ll be able to surpass our 2011 target,” said Tourism Assistant Secretary and Spokesman Benito Bengzon Jr., in a separate interview.
The Chinese market, specifically, jumped 26 percent in the 10-month period, unhampered by the political issues between the Philippines and China. The Russian market, for another, jumped 23.14 percent.
Meanwhile, Jimenez said he would keep to his promise that the Philippine brand would be announced “before Christmas.” Unlike the much-criticized launch of the failed Pilipinas Kay Ganda slogan under former Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, the new Philippine brand would be announced without fanfare.
“We’ll probably just post it on the Web,” said Jimenez of the winning tourism slogan.
Eight of the country’s top advertising agencies had bidded for the P5.6-million “Philippine Branding Campaign focusing on Tourism” project in October. These were: Dentsu Philippines Inc., J. Romero & Associates Inc., Lowe Inc., BBDO Guerrero Proximity Philippines Inc., DDB Philippines Inc., WPP/J. Walter Thompson, Young & Rubicam Philippines Inc. and ASPAC Advertising Inc.
In a separate interview, Tourism Assistant Secretary Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III told the BusinessMirror the new Philippine brand will be presented to President Aquino.
“I’m hopeful that he will approve it,” he said, adding that the new brand was just in the final stages of being tweaked and market-tested. “A notice of award has already been sent to them [the winning agency],” he added.
While he declined to say which advertising agency won the bid, Enerio said it wasn’t BBDO Guerrero, which had earlier crafted the WOW Philippines campaign in 2007. “Iba ang nanalo,” he said.
He added, however, that because of the limited amount of funds of the DOT, the agency will likely seek the assistance of President Aquino in producing the audio-visual materials and other collaterals needed to roll out the new brand campaign.
“We will bid out for the suppliers in early January. But we need extra funds. We’ll try to ask from the President,” Enerio said. The DOT only has a P2-billion budget every year.
Jimenez is targeting 4.2 million tourist arrivals in 2012. “Critical sa atin ’yun. Pag tayo makatawid ng kwatro, we’re on target [for 2016],” he said. The DOT has projected 12 million tourist arrivals by the end of the President’s term in June 2016.
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