Tourism is all about memorable experience

The fatal flaw in the new tourism campaign is not so much the slogan being in Tagalog. More importantly, it misses the point about why people become tourists in the first place.

Based on my and my family’s experience, we spend time and money to visit a country because we want to taste their food, get a feel of their culture, see their natural wonders, visit their museums and historical sites. In other words, experience something that can only be experienced or experienced best in that country.

To me, the best campaigns I have seen in recent times are the Incredible India and Malaysia Truly Asia campaigns. They are all about the tourist experiencing something unique with the country and all the beautiful spots are just there in the background to clinch the deal. The India campaign is a masterpiece with the tourist himself as the hero, experiencing a country that’s different, exciting and memorable.

A tourism campaign is effective only if it is able to stick a nagging message to visit the country to a potential tourist’s mind. A good campaign must therefore be an effective introduction of the great times such a visit will etch in a visitor’s memory for a long time. In this sense, Dick Gordon’s WOW Philippines is better as it offers more than natural beauty, a world of wonders… memorable experiences.

Sometimes, the best materials for a tourism campaign are not 30 second commercials but subliminal messages imbedded in, for example, a movie. A recent movie, Eat, Pray, Love comes to mind. I thought the story line was thin but I enjoyed the experience of eating in Rome and Naples, learning a few things about India’s mystical gurus and loved the charm and beauty of Bali.

As a result, taking a vacation that includes a drive through the Italian countryside is an item in my bucket list and so is revisiting Bali, an island I first visited 40 years ago. I am not too hot about Indian gurus and their spiritually-starved Western brethren. But the Incredible India campaign has landed the country a spot in my bucket list out of sheer curiosity.

I missed the extravaganza of the tourism people launching their new campaign. But from what I have seen of it, I think Pilipinas Kay Ganda is rather lame. It does not sell the country with the promise of a unique memorable experience that’s only possible with a Philippine visit. It merely declares our country is beautiful, something many other countries can claim as well.

Unless, of course, if the slogan is intended to have a double meaning on the sex experience, because that is also an effective come-on for visitors but I don’t think we want that. It doesn’t help that the tourism department’s website beautifulpilipinas.com <http://beautifulpilipinas.com/> ” could lead a potential visitor to a porn site offering Filipino women, with similar key words. Why didn’t our DOT hotshots do better due diligence before launch.

It also didn’t help, Anton Diaz of Awesome Planet website observed, that at last Monday’s launch, “the Pretty Young Thing group performed a sexy number for the representatives of the international community. It was not appropriate and it gave a totally wrong mental image about the campaign.” I saw the picture of the scantily dressed girls with the Pilipinas Kay Ganda logo in the background and it did look salacious. Maybe there is an intention to subliminally sell sex, after all.

Anyway, I think DOT should have learned a number of lessons from our participation in the recently concluded Shanghai World Expo. I found the Philippine structure horribly simple as an ordinary looking box can be. The artwork in the structure’s façade featured hands, plenty of outstretched hands (of beggars, perhaps?) and no hint of Philippine culture or what to expect in visiting the pavilion, much less the country. No flag flew outside too.

But once inside, the experience could overwhelm the visitor. It was like a large but fancy karaoke bar with an endless stream of Filipino singers and bands entertaining the visitors. The party atmosphere was very Filipino and very endearing to the visitors, many of whom I saw dancing their lunch hour away. It also showcased the excellent talent of the Filipino for music, something that’s well appreciated internationally.

The other thing that was there was food. There was this self service carinderia with a lot of Pinoy delicacies including halo halo and other sweet desserts. The prices were reasonable and it was obvious that Pinoy comfort food had something to offer the visitors… something to reassure those who will visit the country.

Then there was this hilot experience. There was a long line of visitors eager to experience this relaxing Pinoy massage. It was a good way to introduce visitors to traditional healing therapies, another reason to visit the country.

I know it may seem trite but the words that capture the atmosphere in that Shanghai Philippine experience is Endless Fiesta. I think that’s something that could sell our tourism program better because Endless Fiesta suggests our culture, our people and the fun experience of being here. Our scenic spots can serve as the backdrop in much the same way that Incredible India handled their campaign.

Or maybe, still under the Endless Fiesta theme, have Manny Pacquiao say the line: Enjoy a knockout, never ending fiesta experience!  Similar lines can be crafted for Charice, Lea Salonga and other world class Pinoy entertainment and sports icons, including our telenovela stars who now have quite a following in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

My big problem with Pilipinas Kay Ganda is that it is invisible and does not offer a good reason to visit. It does not offer an unforgettable experience. It may even be false advertising because once the visitor lands at NAIA, he will see that the airport is kay pangit and driving to the hotel will reveal squatters and other evidence of a poverty stricken third world country that is definitely hindi maganda.

We need to put all that on fast forward and go to Fiesta mode… the fun and games and the traditional Filipino hospitality that awaits the visitor. An effective tourism campaign for our country must have two heroes: the host (that’s us) and the visitor. Everything else must support promise of a unique experience.

A good tourism campaign must focus on the unique experience as the main selling proposition. That’s what made my son visit Brazil a few years ago where he jumped off a cliff on a hang glider. That was also why he visited Peru earlier this year to experience the dizzying heights of the Andes and the cultural heritage story of Machu Picchu.

For me, an item on my bucket list is visiting Germany to experience Oktoberfest. The only real reason I may visit Hong Kong again is for their roast goose… strictly culinary experience. The thing I remember most about a trip to Japan I had many years ago was the tea ceremony my host arranged.  Experience. Memories. Experience. That’s what tourism is all about. That’s what the great campaigns of India, Malaysia and Thailand are offering and what our budding campaign forgot.

I hope Tourism Secretary Bertie Lim isn’t too proud to consider going back to the drawing board. The bureaucrats cannot just talk to each other and unfurl a campaign on us and expect us to like it. They need to consult as widely as possible. I realize this is time consuming and you can not really get everyone happy, but at least the effort must be there.

Consulting widely will at the very least, give them the benefit of Pinoy creativity. Veteran PR consultant Danny Gozo told me that the concept of Malaysia Truly Asia campaign was the brainchild of a Filipina, Julie Lingan, who formerly worked with him at Ace-Saatchi here in Manila. She and a group of Pinoy advertising creative people were tasked by Adrian Zecha of the group that created Amanpulo, to produce a campaign for Malaysia.

The beauty of that campaign is that it made a problem (Malaysia’s racial tensions) into an advantage… Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures in a country that has the best of Asian cultures… visit one country, experience all… truly Asia. The key message here is still EXPERIENCE.

Expect nothing exciting for our tourism industry if even the locals are bored stiff. –Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star)