The Department of Tourism (DOT) is expecting tourism growth for the Philippines as it makes a serious brand adjustment with its “Love the Philippines” campaign, according to a news report by BusinessWorld.
For insight, the Philippines counted 4.11 million foreign tourist arrivals for 2026 as of August. While the Philippines remains an international tourism weakling as well as an economic weakling among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), domestic tourism is actually thriving.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the BusinessWorld. Some parts in boldface…
The Department of Tourism (DoT) said that changing its branding direction in its Love the Philippines campaign will help boost the country’s tourism growth.
“Upon entry into the office, the first mandate that I had carried out was to change the tone of voice of the Department of Tourism with regard to how it communicates to the public,” DoT Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications Armand Lorenze “Ren” Sapitan told lawmakers in a House Committee on Appropriations budget hearing.
“We didn’t have to change the members of branding and the marketing team,” he added. “The only thing that we adopted was a change in direction.”
Mr. Sapitan noted that the agency will shift how it approaches the Love the Philippines campaign instead of replacing it through its Discover More to Love program.
“We would not change this campaign because we recognize that the administration only has two years left,” he said. “What we are changing is how we approach the campaign.”
“The way we relate to the people, the way we promote, the way we market our tourism destinations,” he added.
The Discover More to Love program aims to highlight local destinations by partnering with companies, offering travel bundles and discounted offers.
“The Sun Group actually not only invests in marketing, but they also invest in the entire ecosystem,” Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay explained, citing the agency’s relationship with the private sector.
“The tourist attractions, from hotels, the accommodation, the entire village – that’s the kind of investment that is complete; it’s almost like a subsidy,” she added.
Filipino talents BINI and SB19 were also named as the country’s tourism ambassadors who will support the push for domestic travel.
The DoT earmarked a P4.03 billion budget under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), down 4.6% or P196 million from the approved P4.23 billion budget for 2026.
Of the proposed budget, P1 billion will fund branding campaigns, mostly for overseas marketing (60%) and domestic efforts (40%).
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think that the Philippines will be able to attract more foreign tourists this year? Do you think the DOT’s recent moves will boost both domestic and international tourism for the Philippines?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
+++++
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
Author Carlo Carrasco 