MEDIA RELEASE

10 May 2016
Tourism Philippines teams up with
worlds largest travel influencer on Instagram
From 11 - 24 May 2016, the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is bringing in to the
country five (5) of the biggest travel influencers from Beautiful Destinations, an award-winning
creative technology agency that built the largest travel and lifestyle portfolio on Instagram and
Snapchat.
The travel influencers will capture destination images and videos in a unique perspective and
curate them in a way that will drive interest amongst its followers and inspire them to visit the
Philippines. This marks the first time in Southeast Asia that a national tourism organization is
partnering with the Beautiful Destinations team.
The team will be composed of its Founder and CEO, travel social media expert, Jeremy
Jauncey; Head of Brand Partnerships and celebrated travel drone pioneer, Tom Jauncey;
Community Manager and Londons top Instagram travel photographer and videographer, Jacob
Riglin; world-renowned iPhone-only photographer James Relf Dyer; and the videographer for
American DJ duo - The Chainsmokers, Sam Kolder.
Some of the top Philippine destinations that the team will travel to include Cebu, the first
Spanish settlement in the Philippines and home to some of the countrys most iconic heritage
spots; Bohol, home of the world-renowned Chocolate hills and the worlds smallest primate,
Tarsier; Palawan, the title-holder for the Worlds Best Island according to Conde Nast Traveler;
Manila, which was included by travel publication Lonely Planet among Asias coolest cities;
and Pangasinan, home of the Hundred Islands Natural Park.
The Beautiful Destinations team will share moments throughout each day of the trip on the
Beautiful Destinations Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the PDOTs Instagram
and Facebook accounts, reaching more than 10 million followers around the world. The videos
will also stream outside the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, giving passersby a
glimpse of the teams daily adventures in Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Pangasinan, and Manila.
In Manila, the PDOT will host an InstaMeet between the Beautiful Destinations team and local
travel and lifestyle influencers from the Philippines whose photos have been featured on the
Beautiful Destinations Instagram page. The meet will provide a platform, both to the local and
foreign travel influencers, to exchange insights and ideas about photography, travel, and
lifestyle. Some of the local influencers invited include celebrated Cebuano furniture designer
Vito Selma, Filipino backpackers, and photographers Jaypee Swing and Rod Ruales.
Advertising is evolving away from an art of interruption and towards an art of inclusion. Were
showcasing living, breathing, destinations stories in real time and are incredibly excited about

partnering with the Philippines Department of Tourism to harness the power of Instagram &
Snapchat, said Jeremy Jauncey, Beautiful Destinations Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
Jauncey added that Shooting what we call social-first content prioritizes unique perspectives
shot by social media experts that captivate travelers in a much more genuine way than content
typically shot for print and broadcast campaigns.
With the highest percentage of its population highly active on social media compared to any
other country, the Philippines has been dubbed as the social media capital of the world. On
many occasions, the PDOT would leverage this strength by utilizing social media in most of our
campaigns. Social media has, in fact, allowed us to be a game-changer in the tourism industry
through our Its More Fun in the Philippines campaign, whose central strategy is executed and
propagated by millions of active, enthusiastic Filipinos themselves, who feel they have the
power to persuade people to visit their country as tourists, says Tourism Secretary Ramon
Jimenez, Jr.
As the social media landscape continues to develop at a rapid pace, we have to adapt to
changing times in order to stay ahead of the curve. Collaborating with Beautiful Destinations,
which has already set the global standard for creating social content, is surely an effective way
to make our countrys presence in the digital space more felt by travelers who are highly reliant
on social media, Secretary Jimenez added.

Various shots from Philippine destinations from Jaypee Swing (@JaypeeSwing) and Rod Ruales (@ninjarod)
that were also featured on @BeautifulDestinations.

About Philippine Department of Tourism:

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is the lead government agency in charge of developing the
countrys tourism industry as a major socio-economic activity that generates employment, income, and
investment for the benefit of the Filipino people. The agency is committed to adhere to the national
development goals through the formulation of policies and implementation of plans and programs that
intend to accelerate sustainable development, in addition to positioning the Philippines as a premiere and
globally competitive tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. For more information about
The Philippine Department of Tourism, visit www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com
About Beautiful Destinations:
Beautiful Destinations is the award-winning creative technology agency that built the largest travel &
lifestyle portfolio on Instagram and Snapchat. More than 10 million followers in over 180 countries turn to
Beautiful Destinations for daily travel, food, fashion and lifestyle inspiration. Beautiful Destinations creates
social first content for brands through smartphone, drone and 360 video technology; using visual
analytics to optimize & enhance content, Beautiful Destinations adopts a data-driven approach to creating
brand narratives and effective marketing on social media.
1,200 of the worlds most influential content creators ranging from National Geographic photographers
with professional equipment, to everyday travelers with their smartphones, are a part of the Beautiful
Destinations community. Paired with content creation, the agency has built and managed Instagram and
Snapchat accounts for global brands including Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Airbnb, Marriott International
and Food & Wine. For more information, visit www.beautifuldestinations.com or follow:
@beautifuldestinations, @beautifulhotels, @beautifulcuisines, @beautifulmatters, @beautifulmenswear
(Instagram) and @bdestinations, @bcuisines (Snapchat).

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CONTACT:
Jazmin Esguerra
Director for Media and Communications Service, Philippine Department of Tourism
jcesguerra@tourism.gov.ph
Armand Lorenze Sapitan
Chief Marketing and Promotions Executive, Office of the Tourism Secretary
Philippine Department of Tourism
ren.sapitan.dot@gmail.com
Nick Schweers
Account Manager
Beautiful Destinations
nicks@beautifuldestinations.com