The advertisements that the Department of Tourism are releasing abroad would just be a waste of money “if we will find it difficult to sell the Philippines abroad,” Senator Nancy Binay said on Monday.
She added that it would be best for the DoT to redirect its marketing initiatives on the local market instead of spending taxpayers' money on advertisements that are counter-productive.
She said the DoT can still reverse the foreign visitor downtrend if it would start reassessing its strategies to promote the country as a tourist destination abroad, and instead focus also on the domestic market.
“There could be a reassessment of strategy that instead of focusing on the foreign market, we can concentrate on the domestic market,” said Binay, who added that the local market is also a growth area in terms of tourism.
“Focusing on domestic tourism could stem the shortfall that the country may experience due to the negative perception of the Philippines abroad,” she said.
“Is it not we're saying we should not be foreigners in our own country? The element of “experience” in the marketing campaign of the DoT is also good but we have to address first the ‘disconnect’ in the messaging,” she added.
She said the DoT may have a hard time promoting the country abroad due to what is happening in the country today.
“It is our country which suffers from the negative image projected abroad. Many canceled bookings and the left and right travel advisories issued due to the conflict in Mindanao and the impression brought about by the martial law,” she said.
“We might find it more difficult to promote the Philippines due to longer airtime at newscast on what's happening in the Philippines compared to the 30-seconder TV commercials. That does not include what came out in the social media,” Binay said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, domestic tourism expenditure grew by 19 percent from P1.7 trillion in 2015 to P2.1 trillion in 2016.
Domestic tourism expenditure includes expenditures of resident visitors within the country either as a domestic trip or part of an international trip, the PSA said.
“Let’s explore other marketing mix and tap growing markets. Many of our millenials today have the purchasing power, looking for work-life balance, and wanting to enjoy life. We should start unlocking the potential of the market by offering them value for their money,” Binay said.
In 2012, the National Statistics Office said that four out of 10 Filipinos aged 15 years old and above traveled within the country.
An estimated 25.7 million Filipinos who are 15 years old and above had traveled within the country, the 2012 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors said.
According to the same survey, more than half or 53.7 percent of the domestic tourists were aged 15 to 34 years old.
The lady senator said that she would ask the DoT what the agency is doing, aside from the TV commercials and promotions abroad, to market the country.
“I will file a resolution requesting the DoT and its agencies to present their short-, medium-, and long-term plans for tourism in the light of the current situation, travel advisories, and being tagged as one of the world’s dangerous destinations,” Binay said.
