"Be our country's top influencers."
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said this to encourage Filipinos to be the country's own advocates for tourism as the government unveiled its new tourism slogan.
"Keep introducing the Philippines to the world as a top tier tourist hub," Marcos said during the 50th anniversary of the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Tuesday, June 27, held at the Manila Hotel.
"On that note, I call on the entire Filipino nation to allow yourselves to be our country’s tourism ambassadors. I enjoin you all to be our country’s promoters, advocates, and if I may borrow a coined term in this age of social media, be our country’s top influencers," he added.
The President emphasized that the genuine warmth of the Filipino people "is indeed our greatest asset."
He added that the hospitality Filipinos extend to visitors is a unique characteristic that is innately embedded in the social fabric of being a Filipino, which, he said, "is something that we should all be very proud of."
The DOT also unveiled "Love the Philippines" as the country's new tourism slogan, which, Marcos said, will serve as a guide post for the Philippine tourism industry moving forward.
Tourism powerhouse
The President also urged public officials and tourism stakeholders to "strive to translate our golden vision into reality" using the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) for 2023 to 2028 which was approved in March.
He said the five-year plan stemmed from the administration's determination to implement programs that will transform the country towards being a tourism powerhouse in Asia in the coming years.
"You are the main drivers in the promotion of our beautiful country. I urge you to continue in your role in sustaining the momentum that we have built towards improving our tourism landscape," Marcos said.
"To everyone in the industry who offer their services, to our guests, to our travel agents, to our hotel staff, airline crews, boat operations, everyone who welcomes our tourists with a warm and bright smiles, to make certain that they have a great and memorable experience, maraming maraming salamat sa inyong lahat (thank you very much to all of you)," he added.
In May 2023, the chief executive approved the NTDP as the administration's blueprint and development framework anchored on Filipino culture, heritage and identity. It aims to be sustainable, resilient and competitive in order to transform the country into a tourism powerhouse.
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In the same month, the department’s latest report showed that the total number of international tourist arrivals in the country is at 2,029,419.
