DOT urged to lure more tourists from top 5 countries

A congressman wants the Department of Tourism (DOT) to focus on luring more visitors from five countries with the most number of tourists in the Philippines, proposing the use of “rifle marketing” in promoting the country as an attractive destination.

Quezon City Rep Marvin Rillo, vice chairperson of the House committee on tourism, has advised the DOT to “use the rifle and not the shotgun” in advertising the country as a “preferred destination for foreign holiday makers and a hub for international meetings, conventions and exhibitions.”

He noted that P1.26 billion has been earmarked in next year’s budget for the DOT’s tourism promotions fund, which is sourced from 25 percent of the national government’s share from Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. earnings and 25 percent of the government’s share in international airport and seaport revenue collections.

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In a statement on Monday, Rillo said, “We would urge the DOT to consider shifting to rifle marketing, as opposed to shotgun marketing, and to concentrate on our top five suppliers of foreign visitors, namely, South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and Australia.”

The lawmaker explained that “rifle marketing” targets individual markets while “shotgun marketing” aims for the entire global market.

“We want the DOT to succeed in bringing in a larger number of foreign visitors because their spending here contributes in a big way to creating new employment opportunities for Filipinos in accommodation, transport, food and beverage services, entertainment, and other economic activities,” Rillo said. INQ