MAKATI, PHILIPPINES – Culture buffs around the globe can now learn the ABCs of the Philippine culture as the Department of Tourism (DOT) unveils its newest ad at the Culture Launch on Thursday, February 27, held at the Shooting Gallery Studio in Makati City.
In just a minute, the ABaKaDa music video is able to talk about 20 unique cultural facts about the Philippines represented by each letter of the Philippine alphabet. It starts with ‘A’ for abaca accessories that many can admire for its beauty and sustainability. ‘Ba’ is for barefoot bounding while dancing the Tinikling. Ka is for Kinetic kali combat showing the country’s national martial arts.
Documenting a diving experience represents the ‘Da’, while eating Filipino cuisines literally everywhere perfectly fit the ‘E.’ The music video also features Filipino art galleries for ‘Ga,’ hand-weaving for ‘Ha,’ island vibes for ‘I,’ the lakes and its lilies for ‘La,’ and the mountain rides in Ifugao for ‘Ma.’ Filipinos are also known to be one of the happiest people on earth, and so the ‘Na’ is for “ngumiti ng ngumiti” or to keep on smiling.
The ABaKaDa song lyrics, written in collaboration with and sang by Curtismith, also highlights oratories of Filipinos, polo and prints using pineapple fabrics, rondallas rhythm and river rafting, street dancing, tribal tattoos, the underground caves, and the wild and warm welcome of the locals, immersing tourists to the exceptional Filipino hospitality.
2019 campaigns of the DOT relied on crowdsourcing, making everyone who has captured their Philippine travel experiences a tourism ambassador. These materials were compiled and used for tourism promotions.
The global community also recognized the DOT’s sustainable tourism advocacy. It won an Excellent Partner Award for sustainable efforts in the Japan Tourism Awards. It bagged the second place in the recently concluded Asia Destination Film Forum awards for the ‘Save Our Spots’ campaign.
LOOK: It's More Fun in the Philippines 2020 Launch
The Department of Tourism invites you to 'Be Part of the Culture' with the launch of its latest featuring the Philippines' cultural icons.#BePartOfTheFun #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines#MoreFunForever#SaveOurSpots pic.twitter.com/wjX2FxV4uQ
— Visit Philippines (@TourismPHL) February 27, 2020
Sustaining the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, the ABaKaDa culture video is only one of the 10 tourism campaign videos of the DOT focusing on Philippine tourism products. Remaining videos focus will focus on sun and beach, nature and adventure, leisure and entertainment, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions), culinary, education (English as a Second Language), cruise, health and wellness, and dive. These promotion videos target global tourists to further boost inbound tourism.
The DOT is also working on immersing tourists in the stories of every region. Sixteen tourism videos will highlight destinations of the regions, inviting everybody to be part of a greater year while ensuring every experience to truly be part of the culture.
2020 Tourism Department Plans
Speaking at the Culture Launch, DOT Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Howard Lance A. Uyking said, “I strongly believe that the principles of sustainability are more relevant than ever. After an amazing 2019, there’s no time to rest on our laurels—there’s always something brewing at the DOT—whether they’re new advertisements or digital innovations—so we can keep visitors and locals alike interested in what the Philippines has to offer.”
For 2020, the DOT will be ramping up its nationwide accreditation efforts to help tourism stakeholders become globally competitive in its facilities services.
One of the exciting tourism projects this year is the month-long Philippine Shopping Festival this March. Tourists can score bargains in a wide selection of discounts on airline tickets, hotels and resorts, tour packages, and all the major malls nationwide.
The DOT has also partnered with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to promote the country in the international film industry. Dubbed as the “Film Philippines,” the program will provide incentives to attract foreign film productions to hold location shoots in the country.
Filipino creative minds meantime can join the “Go Create Getaway,” a new crowdsourcing campaign this summer, inviting tourists to become content creators and vloggers. It will be a competition to win exciting prizes.
With all the exciting activities lined up for the year, the DOT invites all tourists to “Be Part of the Tradition, Be Part of the Celebration, and Be Part of the Fun” by sharing the ABaKaDa video and succeeding videos on social media and other platforms.
