Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — President Benigno S. Aquino III, in his State of the Nation address three years ago, announced an ambitious plan for the country’s tourism industry.
“Sa dinami-dami ng magagandang tanawin sa ating bansa, hindi naman siguro suntok sa buwan kung mangarap tayong pagdating ng 2016, sampung milyong turista na ang bibisita sa Pilipinas kada taon,” he said in his 2012 address.
The tourism department aggressively pushed for a marketing campaign to attract tourists, with the slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
The campaign went viral, and social media platforms were abuzz with funny memes.
It was hailed as one of the world’s smartest marketing campaigns, receiving dozens of international citations.
“It hit a psyche in the international travel community that now Thailand is following, right? It’s not anymore Truly Asia or what, it’s more human capital that they’re concentrating on, what makes us unique,” said Rosanna Tuason-Fores, President of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.
Annual international tourist arrivals have been steadily rising, from 3.5 million in 2010, to a record-high 4.8 million in 2014, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The DOT said that the campaign may have drawn more tourists.
This achievement is unmatched by previous administrations. But latest figures show the Aquino government is far from achieving the tourist arrival target.
The country’s numbers are unimpressive compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors, according to tourism ministries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Last year, Malaysia had 25.7 million tourist arrivals, while Thailand welcomed 24.8 million visitors. Those numbers are far greater than the 4.8 million tourist arrivals for the Philippines.
For every tourist going to the Philippines, about five others choose Malaysia or Thailand.
The tourism department said that it’s still more expensive to go the Philippines, from airfare costs to hotel rates.
“Unlike most other countries in Southeast Asia, we don’t enjoy the luxury of cross-border land travel. It’s not as if somebody can just hop on a car, cross the border, and then you count the number of tourists,” said DOT Usec. for Tourism Development Benito Bengzon.
Travel bans also drive away tourists — with China issuing bans because of the dispute in the West Philippine Sea and western countries warning tourists against heading out to the conflict-torn south.
“I avoid the areas where there are issues for example in Mindanao. I just don’t go there and it’s a shame because I believe it’s a very attractive place to go,” said Adrian Allison, an Australian national.
But experts and tourists alike say there’s a deeper problem: the lack of infrastructure.
Airports can get congested and flights may get delayed.
“I’ll be losing four hours in between and the second at times if it is late I cannot make up and catch up,” said Vinayak More, an Indian national.
And there’s horrible traffic everywhere.
“Awful. It’s very crazy. Awful. Nothing you can see in Spain, everybody doesn’t respect the others. Nobody respects the traffic lights. To get to about one kilometer, you have to spend about half an hour, that’s incredible,” said Jose Ortega Lanuza, a Spanish national.
But Bengzon said that these are things beyond their control, and all they can do is to properly sell the country — with only a 2-billion-peso yearly budget.
“If you’re left with a budget that is not as big as what your competitors have then you are forced to be more creative,” Bengzon said.
Tourism marketing expert Maria Criselda Badilla of the University of the Philippines suggested instead that the next administration should double DOT’s budget.
Badilla said that this will boost the country’s tourism campaign.
Her advice to the next president: keep the “It’s More Fun In The Philippines” campaign for brand recall.
“Branding the Philippines again differently will be suicide,” said Badilla.
