UAE | General

Philippines tourism slogan promoted at Global Village

Expats encouraged to visit the Philippines

By Carolina D’Souza, Staff Reporter
Published: 21:30 February 23, 2013

Image Credit: Courtesy VC Gerry Suliguin

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Dubai: With folk dances and traditional performances, the tourism arm of the Philippines government began to promote the country at Global Village on Friday.

The aim was to market the tourism slogan -- It’s more fun in the Philippines.

The international slogan was rolled out in international markets by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) in 2012, the year that the country attracted more than 4,272,811 million tourists.

Speaking to Gulf News, Vice Consul Geronimo Suliguin said, “We are hoping to exceed the number of tourists in 2013.”

Global Village, a premier outdoor cultural, shopping and entertainment venue in the UAE, is visited by more than five million people annually.

The Philippines’ Department of Tourism – Middle East Office, in cooperation with the Filipino community in Dubai and the northern emirates, hopes that the cultural event at Global Village will entice international tourists to visit the Philippines.

Targeted at non-Filipino expatriates, the series of performances at the World Cultural Stage highlight the tourism slogan and campaign and promote the Philippines as a top tourist destination, Suliguin said.

The performances, which involve 65 Filipino organisations and 15 performing groups, will end on March 1.

“These provide a window into the cultural history of the Philippines. We want to drum up awareness about our cultural history,” he said.

Some places like Manila, Bohol, Cebu and Davao are already popular tourist spots, he added.

The performances included Philippine folk dances, Pandanggo Sa Ilaw (dance with lights) and Cariñosa (courtship dance).

Angeline Rivera, Manager at the Philippine Department of Tourism - Middle East Office, told Gulf News, “We are making concerted efforts to push our tourism strategy. It is the first time we are hosting performances at Global Village.”

Gulf News spoke to a few Filipinos expatriates on the tourism strategy.

“Our hospitality is part of our nature. I would be proud to see expatriates from Dubai experience our hospitality and see our country that has much to offer,” said Arlyn Lansang, a Dubai-based professional in finance.

Another expatriate, John Samson, a client services professional in Dubai, added, “Given the large Filipino community here, most nationalities have interacted with us. It would be a privilege to show them our country.”