By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 6, 2018 - 12:00am
Tourism officials and participants in the Winter Escapade 5 from Canada and the US pose in front of Jose Rizal’s monument.
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT)’s annual Winter Escapade – one of the agency’s most successful promotional programs in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs – has again brought hundreds of tourists, mostly balikbayans from the US and Canada, to the country this week.
Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia said this year a total of 250 tourists, including Canadians, have joined the 10-day tour with stops in the cities of Bacolod and Davao.
Now on its fifth year, Winter Escapade has brought in over a thousand tourists, resulting in increased tourism revenues and investments, Garcia said.
DOT data show that the average expenditure of the Canadian tourists during their 10-day stay in the Philippines is Canadian $4,000 to $5,000 or a total of Canadian $1.046 million (P42.8 million).
“In terms of presenting a good image of the country, this (Winter Escapade) is very important,” Garcia told The STAR during the welcome lunch for participants held at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros on Saturday.
“Sometimes we get bad reputation,” she said, referring to travel advisories issued by some countries against the Philippines due to peace and order.
“If it’s a group (tour) organized by us, people are not afraid and word of mouth spreads that the Philippines is a good place to go,” she said.
Garcia noted that the person who brought Canada’s Tim Hortons in the Philippines was a participant of the Winter Escapade last year.
The envoy said aside from “good value,” Winter Escapade brings tourists to different places every year.
Garcia said more Filipino-Canadians would like to join the annual tour to escape the cold February winter of Canada but they have to limit the number of participants due to lack of hotel rooms in some areas in the country.
Carmen Barcena, head of the Ceremonial and Protocol Services at the Federal Government of Canada, is joining the tour with her 16-year-old son, Napoleon.
“I think it’s an interesting way to be introduced to the diversity of the Philippines, the culture, the people, the food… This way you’ll have full access to places you never knew existed,” she said.
Napoleon said he intends to post all his pictures on Instagram and Facebook so his friends and classmates in Canada would be enticed to visit the Philippines.
Forty-year-old Jeremie dela Paz, who was born and raised in Montreal, said the Winter Escapade is a good opportunity to allow foreigners “to enjoy the opulence of the country.”
“Often people are focused on the poverty of the Philippines. But the Philippines is multifaceted. We’re not just a poor country. We have a lot to offer, we have a lot of ingenuity here, we have a lot of beauty, world-class amenities and activities,” he said.
Dela Paz said aside from his family, he also brought his Canadian partner, who is from Quebec, to personally experience the rich Filipino culture.
“Even if we’re not born in the Philippines, no matter what we do we’re always Filipino,” he said.
