The new slogan of the Department of Tourism “Love the Philippines.” (Photo from the Facebook page of the DOT)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ new tourism slogan has drawn mixed reactions from local business groups, with some of them loving the new catchphrase while others expressing reservations about the tagline not being catchy enough.
Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) president Fe Abling-Yu on Wednesday told the Inquirer that the “Love the Philippines” slogan, which was unveiled on Tuesday during the Department of Tourism’s (DOT’s) belated 50th anniversary celebration, was “good enough” and can afford the country enough leverage in the tourism industry.
“You can never go wrong with the word ‘love.’ It indicates love for the country, love for the people, love for our beaches and love for our cuisine,” Abling-Yu said in a phone interview.
Room for improvement
But the Philtoa official said there is room for improvement and that tourism officials can still tweak it in the future to be “catchier and have better name recall.”
The Hotel Sales and Marketing Professionals Association also received it positively, citing that their members like the new three-word marketing line.
“It’s candid, simple, and easy to recall. We will support DOT’s new campaign,” the association said in a statement.
Not impressed
Sought for comment, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines executive director Ebb Hinchcliffe said: “I haven’t seen an ad yet, so I’m not sure what context it is being used [in]. At first glance, it’s not catchy enough. However, it is time to move on. Let’s give this one a try and let’s help it be successful.”
But Albay Rep. Joey Salceda called out Tourism Secretary Christine Frasco for the seeming lack of “love” for Albay and the Bicol region.
“Dear Secretary Frasco — why no Mayon in DOT Love the Philippines? And the whale shark most likely in Oslob, Cebu, so no Bicol?” Salceda said.