New slogan of the Department of Tourism ‘Love the Philippines. (Photo from DOT/Official Facebook Page)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday urged the public to give “Love the Philippines” slogan a chance.
The new catchline is the government’s attempt to recover from the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic by attracting more international tourists to the country.
Escudero’s statement follows the new slogan launched by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in line with its 50th anniversary and local netizens’ criticisms after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. unveiled the new tourism advertising catchphrase on June 27.
READ: ‘Love the Philippines’ is the country’s new tourism slogan — DOT
Although the previous campaign, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” generated around 4.47 million tourist arrivals in 2013 and 8.26 million before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, Escudero said he is willing to give the new slogan a chance.
“While I believe in the saying ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it?’ I am willing to give it a chance,” Escudero said.
“The last thing I want is for our country and people to be seen bickering about our slogan in front of foreigners or tourists—our putative market. I refuse to be part of any such thing until we have given it a chance,” he also said.
Escudero also pointed out that “the effectiveness of a slogan depends on many factors, such as the destination’s unique offerings, target audience, and marketing strategy,” noting that tourism slogans should be “catchy, memorable, and convey a positive message that captures the essence of the destination.”
He said “Love the Philippines” has captured these qualities, citing the tourism slogan of India as an example.
“My personal favorite is ‘Incredible India.’ This slogan, for me, works well because it is simple, memorable, and accurately captures the essence of the destination it represents,” he said.
‘Question of timing’
Meanwhile, Senator Nancy Binay, head of the committee on tourism, said that changing the slogan and sustaining DOT’s new campaign always comes with a cost, hoping that the move would work out.
“For me, it’s a question of timing. Laging may kakambal na gastos ang pagbabago ng slogan (Changing a slogan always comes with a cost)—and it would entail a huge amount of US dollars to start and sustain a new campaign,” she wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday.
“Kaso, nandyan na nga ‘yan. ‘Ika nga, ‘pag love mo ang isang tao o bagay, tatanggapin mo anuman ‘yung kanyang kakulangan, and willing ka pa rin bigyan ng chance—with the hope na mag-work out,” she added.
(But it’s already there. When you love someone or something, you accept their shortcomings, and you’re still willing to give them a chance—with the hope that it will work out.)