“People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live”.
— Martin Yan
When the campaign for social media “It’s more fun in the Philippines” was conceptualized and rolled out in international markets, the country gained utmost popularity. It definitely attracted tourists from different countries. A lot of banners and posters of the campaign featuring smart and funny hashtags were scattered in various places around the world. I’ve seen several attention-grabbing “it’s more fun” photos which made me smile and laugh.
There’s this poster I saw taken from a cockpit somewhere in Manila where two fighting cocks were featured. Along with it was the tagline “Angry Birds. More Fun in the Philippines.” Another was a picture of the famous Banaue Rice Terraces with caption “Getting upstairs. More Fun in the Philippines.”
There’s this photographers circle called WAFP (We Are Funtastic Philippines) which is a non profit group in Facebook site run by professional Filipino photographers and hobbyists around the world. Their goal is to show the world how beautiful our country is. It was formed with only one idea in mind – to showcase the beauty of the Philippines thru wonderful pictures and videos.
WAFP believes that having a photo exhibit is the best way to show how beautiful our country the Philippines is. The Photo Exhibit was touted as SILIP PINAS III. It was the 3rd exhibit since last year. Silip Pinas III Photo Exhibit was held January 18-24 in SM Pampanga . WAFP Silip Pinas III team was spearheaded by all the WAFP admins with the group’s President, Ameh Zamora Samano.
We have a very beautiful country and a lot of people need to see and experience it. In order to successfully promote it, we need to put ourselves in the tourists’ shoes. Let’s ask ourselves “Why would they want to come visit the Philippines?” “What would be appealing or interesting enough to get them to travel and stay awhile longer?”
Promoting tourism does not only include showcasing wonderful and breathtaking scenery. Moreover, it is important to show the places where tourists get to know local history and culture. Also, never forget to cite exciting outdoor activities and the chance to see and interact with local arts and artists.
On February 1 -8, there will be another exhibit which is gonna be held at SM San Fernando and that will be the SILIP PINAS IV. Let us try to spend time to see the photo exhibit. Check out the amazing places and people in the Philippines. The pictures will definitely convince you to travel around the country.
Indeed, the Philippines is home to a wide mixture of majestic landscapes and natural beauty. Let us not be strangers in our own hometown. We need to be more than just hosts or social marketers. We should be tourists in our own country as well. Let’s be co-travellers and share experiences and have fun with our visitors.
