The Philippines bested some 120 participants the to bag two major awards in an international tour expo in Daegu, South Korea.
This was announced by Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace H. Durano, attributing the feat to the success of the marketing campaign being conducted by the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) in the Korean peninsula.
"For the first month of the year, tourist arrivals from Korea totaled 58,583 to post a 29.8 percent growth from 45,130 in the same period last year," Durano added.
Durano said the two awards – the Best Booth Design and the Best Tourism Publicity – were received by DoT’s Team Korea Head ******* Basco-Ebron from chairman Lee Hee-Do of Daegu Tourism Association at Exco, Daegu.
"Aside from the Philippines, the participants included around 120 firms, organizations, and agencies occupying a total of 250 exhibit booths at the Tour Expo Daegu 2006, which attracted more than 50,000 visitors from 29 countries and 129 organizations," Ebron said.
With one million outbound market, Daegu is Korea’s third-largest city after Seoul and Busan and serves as the southeaster regional center of the peninsula. Daegu is thus one of the cities being targeted by the DoT’s marketing campaign.
At the fair, the DoT promoted the Philippines as a multi-dimensional destination, particularly for honeymoon, family, students, and golf.
The Philippine exhibit occupied four booth spaces, with the backdrop depicting the cultural heritage of the country showcasing the Ifugao Rice Terraces, Hundred Islands , and the Masskara Festival. These were complemented with Tinalak cloth and various festival masks as added decorations.
Displayed at the back of the huge backdrop were visuals of the country’s eight anchor destinations – Boracay, Cebu/Bohol, Banaue, Vigan/Laoag, Davao, Manila, Baguio, and Palawan.
"The Philippine participation in the fair is aimed at capturing a significant share of Daegu’s one-million outbound market and sustaining the phenomenal increase in tourist arrivals from Korea," Durano said.
Last year, the Philippines scored the highest growth rate in Korean arrivals, beating Thailand, Singapore, and even Hong Kong.
Statistics from the Korean National Tourism Organization (KNTO) placed Korean arrivals in the Philippines at 481,397 for a 27.6-percent hike over 2004’s 377,217 to beat Singapore’s 21.9 percent, Thailand’s -12.2 percent, and Hong Kong’s 12.8 percent.
Since 1999, Korea’s share of visitor arrivals in the Philippines has been significantly increasing, accounting for 8.78 percent in 2000, 11.57 percent in 2001, 15.93 percent in 2004, and 27.6 percent last year.
In the early part of 2006, Korea already accounts for the biggest bulk of foreign arrivals to the Philippines, eventually overtaking US and Japan.
The Philippine campaign in Korea is anchored on the perceptive strength of the archipelago’s 7,107 islands, reinforced by the slogan ‘More than you can imagine’ so as to highlight its visual image as a destination of fantastic beaches and a leisure hub of various attractions.
"The emphasis of this marketing campaign is on the number 7,107 that will serve as key for top-of-mind recall of the brand messages and images that will address each of our target segments in the Korean market," the DoT chief added.
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