MANILA, Philippines?Seeking to capitalize on the global travel boom in the years ahead of the global economic crisis, the Department of Tourism (DOT) last year enlisted the help of Filipino-American Internet video blogger Christine ?HappySlip? Gambito to encourage ?balikbayans? to visit the Philippines.

A year later, the HappySlip online marketing campaign has been hailed as a success in highlighting the country as a tourist destination, especially to traditionally big-spending Filipinos residing in North America.

According to the DOT, while an exact correlation between the HappySlip campaign and actual tourist arrivals during the period cannot be established, there was a substantial increase in Internet traffic to the department?s site experiencephilippines.ph through the HappySlip video blogs.

?Statistics would show that traffic to the website increased a day after each HappySlip video blog was uploaded on the website happyslip.com,? according to DOT Team North America head Corazon Jorda-Apo. ?In the first four months of 2008 alone, the DOT website tallied 50,000 visits.?

One day last year, a record was achieved when 1,742 visits to the DOT?s website was recorded during a 24-hour period.

?Through the video blogs, more Filipino-Americans saw the Philippines as an ideal vacation destination,? she said. ?Likewise, through the video blogs, Fil-Ams saw brand new experiences that they can look forward to in the Philippines.?

Because of this innovative approach, the DOT received this year?s Grand Bronze Anvil Award and the Anvil Award of Excellence for its online marketing program for the most outstanding public relations tool?the second straight time the department has been recognized by Anvil for innovative marketing.

The ?HappySlip Blogs? campaign leveraged the power of Internet videos and the popularity of Gambito to capture the interest of second- and third-generation Americans and Canadians.

This eventually enticed ?thousands? of North Americans to explore the Philippines and its destinations, book travel packages and return to the country with their families and friends, DOT said.

According to Jorda-Apo, the DOT website received ?thousands of feedback? through happyslip.com subscribers.

?Positive viewer comments on wanting to go back or travelling for the first time to the Philippines, purchasing tickets soon and confirming that the Philippines is a safe place to travel to, are some of the themes of the notable feedback posted by HappySlip fans,? she said.

Last year, tourist arrivals from the US were reported at 578,246 or 18.42 percent of the total tourist arrivals for that year. Tourists from Canada reached 102,381 for a 3.26-percent share. All told, the North American market produced 680,627 tourists for the Philippines in 2008.

According to DOT estimates, total tourists from the US generate for the country on the average $48.57 million per day in tourists receipts.

To gain these benefits, the DOT?s HappySlip campaign spent around P2.5 million?a fraction of the estimated media exposure value that the department and the country gained. During the campaign, 18 news and feature articles were published in the local print media equivalent to P1.6 million in advertising value, and P13.3 million in ?media value.? The campaign was also featured on TV shows and news programs, generating publicity worth P8.1 million in advertising value and P81.1 million in media value.

And how does the weak global economy play into plans of tourism authorities this year?

?The challenge for DOT during these days of crisis is to keep a positive rate, or at least a steady zero growth rate in tourist arrivals,? Jorda-Apo said. ?[We are] confident that, through our efforts in niche marketing and staying on course of its marketing strategies, our objectives will be achieved.?