MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Department of Tourism (DOT)’s “Save Our Spots” (SOS) Sustainable Tourism Campaign won an award under the Public Relations Program Directed at Specific Stakeholders category of the recently held 56th Anvil Awards organized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.
SOS is part of DOT’s overarching campaign for sustainability called “More Fun Forever” which aims to inspire tourists, businesses and local communities to have a long-term view on tourism by protecting the country’s destinations and natural resources.
DOT worked with its creative agency DDB MNL, a DDB Group Philippines company, to develop the SOS campaign’s integrated multimedia marketing communication materials, which were subsequently showcased online and in strategic travel touchpoints.
For DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Save Our Spots is a movement that calls for each individual to do their part in acting as a responsible tourist and encouraging the same behavior towards their peers.
“Sustainable tourism as a whole may seem like an ambitious venture but every small contribution will go a long way to collectively benefit the country’s tourism status, precious destinations, and valued lives,” the tourism secretary said.
DOT Assistant Secretary Howie Uyking added that the award-winning campaign is “meant to ensure that our destinations stay ‘more fun forever’ for the next generations of Filipinos and tourists to enjoy.”
The urgent problem of pollution in the country has not spared the country’s well-loved tourist spots. The more tourists flock to the country’s destinations, the more pollution is created, not to mention the increased incidence of disrespected locals and wildlife going extinct.
Thus, the Save our Spots campaign tackled sustainability on several fronts, providing tourists with concrete and specific steps that they can do as responsible tourists, and leveraging the DOT website and other digital assets for the info campaign. It also tapped influencers and created memeable, shareable content using platforms such as IG Stories, GIFs, filters, Viber stickers to inject the cause in daily conversations.
The DOT-led efforts and the resolve of the whole tourism industry to rise to the global challenge saw the growing recognition of the country’s sustainable tourism advocacy. More than tourism arrivals and receipts, it is the changed mindset towards sustainable and responsible tourism that is the real success achieved by the campaign.
Watch one of Save Our Spots’ online videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai2dFX7qybE
