Introduction

The Philippines has 7107 islands to offer to different tourists arriving in our country. It is,
therefore, right to promote the countrys beauty through campaigns. Since then, the Department
of Tourism (DoT) will create a tagline that will be used in advertisements that can be seen around
the world. From January 2001 to 2004, Senator Richard Gordon, Tourism secretary of that
period, had come up with the slogan Wow! Philippines. They had campaign videos, which won
a Best Video award. The successors of Senator Gordon also adapted this campaign. The
international tourist arrival from 2001 has dropped because there was a threat of Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and other news about killings in the country. Eventually, in 2004,
the tourist arrival has increased in that year. Some international tourists were asked about the
campaign but their answer was they were able to know about our tourist spots because of their
friends or travel agencies the Wow! Philippines slogan for tourism failed (Patio, 2010), the
DOT thought of a new and better one to keep up with the tourism competition with other Asian
countries.

Last January 2012, the Department of Tourism announced their new international tourism
campaign Its more fun in the Philippines. This new slogan has a goal to attract 12 million
visitors by 2016, the year the Aquino administration steps down from office. The slogan answers
the question Why the Philippines? (Arnaldo, 2012). This new slogan promotes what is more
fun in the Philippines, an example is parking in forms of bangkas is more fun in the
Philippines. This new slogan is simple yet modern. It now has a Facebook page and a website.
Various videos have been uploaded in YouTube about this tourism campaign.

This study is limited to the given statistics and information by the Department of
Tourism. Since the new campaign just recently started 2 years ago, and introduced to other
countries in April 2012, we have only the year 2013 as a full year of advertising and
campaigning to see if the promotion took effect. Our information gathered includes the results of
the years 2012 up to the first four months of 2014 in percentage and numerical figure. We will
be gathering information from different articles that are related to the said topic. We will be
comparing the results of the years 2012-2014 to the year 2001-2004 to see the difference of the
promotion effects of 2 different campaign slogans.

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Statements of the Problem

Given the fact that Wow! Philippines was not an effective attempt to attract more
tourists to our country; the following statements of the problem were given:

1. What differentiates Its More Fun in the Philippines from Wow! Philippines
campaign slogans by the Department of Tourism in tourism promotion of the country?
2. How effective is Its More in the Philippines as tourism campaign slogan of the current
Aquino Administration?

Hypothesis

The following hypotheses were formulated in relation to the statements of the

problem:

Alternative Hypothesis: Wow Philippines and Its More Fun in the Philippines have
differences from each other when it comes to its creator, visitor statistics, feedbacks and results.
But both campaigns strive to achieve and to promote Philippine tourism and boost our
international tourist arrival yet one of these two advertisements did not succeed when it comes to
the visitor arrivals statistics given. The social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and other sites,
has helped Its More Fun in the Philippines the advantage to boost the countrys tourist arrival,
which has made this campaign more effective than "Wow Philippines". With the help of the
Filipino citizens, posting photos and statuses have spread how fun it is in the Philippines by the
wide reach of the new campaign.

Null Hypothesis: Department of Tourism campaign Its More Fun in the Philippines was
proved to be the most effective campaign created by the government. It has reaped honors from
Tambuli Awards on May 30, 2013 for integrated marketing communication efforts, including the
event's highest distinction. Internet was the best medium to promote the tagline of the campaign
which basically shows what we Filipinos always have and that is fun

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.Detailed Outline

Since then, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has created taglines to attract tourist that
will be used in advertisements that can be seen around the world. From January 2001 to 2014,
Senator Richard gordon, Tourism secretary of that period, had come up with the tourism slogan
"Wow! Philippines". Yet it has failed to meet the goals of the government when it comes to the
results of foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines and his has given the DOT an idea for a better
one to keep up with the tourism competition with other Asian countries- the new international
tourism campaign Its more fun in the Philippines.

This study investigates and compares the economic implications of the tourism
campaigns "Wow! Philippines" and "It's More Fun In The Philippines". It will also conceptually
explain the significance of such tourism campaigns in the actions being taken by the government
and what are their effects to the tourism arrivals of the country. This paper will address the
following research problems: 1) What differentiates Its More Fun in the Philippines from
Wow! Philippines campaign slogans by the Department of Tourism in tourism promotion of
the country? and 2) How effective is Its More in the Philippines as tourism campaign
slogan of the current Aquino Administration?

The researchers has also formulated hypothesis on the results or expected outcome of the
study. Since the study is a comparative analysis, the null hypothesis that has proved "It's More
Fun In the Philippines" as to be the most effective campaign created by the government, will
help show its

On the other hand, the researcher shall prove that the shortcomings and failures of "Wow!
Philippines" has caused the creation of "It's More Fun In The Philippines" as the new tourism
international campaign of the Philippines and the improvements which were brought about the
differences of the results of tourism arrivals and recognitions since the actions and solutions by
Department of Tourism were given of importance.

This study is significant for the following reasons: this will help imply how tourism
promotion of such campaigns will affect the foreign tourist arrivals in the country. The
Department of Tourism have looked into their shortcomings during "Wow! Philippines"
campaign and its economic implications to arrive to better and more satisfying results.

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 The Review of Related Literature section of this paper specified related topics and
literatures. This chapter was framed into seven major subtopics: First, the comparison of "Wow!
Philippines" and "It's More Fun in the Philippines". This contains how both campaigns were
created and the reason behind the creation of "It's More Fun in the Philippines". Second, the
achievements that both campaigns received. Wow Philippines was awarded Best Marketing
effort of a National Tourism Organization in the Internationale Tourismus Bourse while "It's
More Fun in the Philippines" reaped honors from Tambuli Awards. Third, the goals of each
campaign were discussed. Given that the Department of Tourism did not invest very much on the
WOW Philippines tourism campaign, they did not put as much importance to tourism before and
now, President Aquino has set a goal to reach atleast 12 million visitors under the new tourism
campaign. If the goal is accompliashed, it will prove that is the most effective campaign our
country has implemented. Fourth, it covers the advertising the Department of Tourism has done.
Since most Europeans say they that many of them have heard of the Philippines but are unaware
of what the country offers, clearly the WOW Philippines slogan lacked advertising and
promotion in other countries but on the other hand, the new tourism campaign, Its More Fun in
the Philippines, wisely advertises itself through social media. Fifth, the performances of the
campagins when it comes to its results were explained. During the time of Wow Philippines the
country had a tourist arrival ranging from 1,796,000 to 1,933,000 which sadly did not attain the
2.4 milion goal for 2013. Meanwhile, the Philippines welcomed 681,307 foreign visitors during
the time of It's More Fun in the Philippines that has marked a new milestone for the tourism
industry. Sixth, a countrys promotional slogan or campaign is not the only basis for tourist
arrivals but also the safety and health concerns of a country. This shows the Abu Sayaf
kidnapping in Dos Palmas and the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Lastly, our neighboring Asian countries have their own toursim advertisements which has opened
a competition. Malaysia's "Malaysia, Truly Asia" and Thailand's "Amazing Thailand" are some
of these advertisements that are popular but the researchers have given a fact that our beautiful
tourist spots are not enough when our accomodations for foreign tourists are poor and
unpleasing.

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 Finally, the conclusion part of the study has shown the better advertising strategy and
more effectivity of "It's More Fun in the Philippines" than "WOW Philippines". It is also to be
taken into account that Its More Fun in the Philippines has a bigger budget than WOW
Philippines. It as well describes the continuous success of "It's More Fun in the Philippines".

Review of Literature

Its more fun in the Philippines and Wow Philippines in Comparison

Richard Gordon, the former secretary of the Department of Tourism from 2001 2004,
conceptualized the WOW Philippines slogan. The Department of Tourism did not spend a
single centavo to devise the tagline.

The new tourism campaign Its more fun in the Philippines was introduced in 2012.
This campaign is under President Benigno Aquino III. The slogan answers the question Why
should I go to the Philippines? said the Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez (Galarpe, Kumar, &
Buan, 2012). This new campaign is simple and easy to understand. It also represents the
happiness of the Filipino people despite the hardships. It promotes the Filipinos to be more fun in
a sense. Filipino pride is something that we always see especially when there is someone
representing the Philippines in an international competition; an example is a Pacquiao fight. We
are showing how much we love our country and our nationality in the new campaign in a way
that we are showing to the world that it is definitely more fun in our country.

Achievements

Wow Philippines was awarded last 2003 Best Marketing effort of a National Tourism
Organization in the Internationale Tourismus Bourse. Despite the lack of funds, the DOT
managed to keep the tourism numbers at an increase when they were down in most parts of Asia
(n/a, 2012).

"It's More Fun in the Philippines" reaped honors from Tambuli Awards for integrated
marketing communication efforts, including the event's highest distinction - the most effective
and value-driven campaign in 2012 (Diola, 2013). It is obvious that this new slogan is more
visible than the former slogan. The government invested to increase our visibility to tourists.

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 Goals

Given that the Department of Tourism did not invest very much on the WOW Philippines
tourism campaign, they did not put as much importance to tourism before. The WOW
Philippines campaign targeted 2.4 million tourists for 2003(Gregorio, 2004). This goal was well
thought of considering the fact that the country is not very well known during this period and the
campaign was just starting out.

By the year 2016, The Philippines hopes to attract at least 12 million visitors under the
new tourism campaign, Its More Fun in the Philippines. President Aquino also allotted a fund
for effective production and rollout of the campaign (Arnaldo, 2012). This goal is very driven
and it is seen that the government is putting much efforts to promote our tourist spots.

If this goal is accomplished the end of the Aquino administration, it will prove that this is
the most effective campaign our country has implemented.

Advertising

Since most Europeans say they that many of them have heard of the Philippines but are
unaware of what the country offers, clearly the WOW Philippines slogan lacked advertising and
promotion in other countries. During this time, the top three foreign tourists arriving in the
country are South Koreans, Americans and Japanese (Patio, 2010). South Korea and Japan are
our neighboring countries which gives them a reason to know about what the Philippines has to
offer, and America is a country that colonized us and we are somewhat dependent on, so surely
they are informed about the Philippines.

The new tourism campaign, Its More Fun in the Philippines, wisely advertises itself
through social media. Videos showing the beautiful beaches of the country and fun fiestas have
gone viral. This type of advertising is clever and beneficial due to the common use of social
networking sites all over the world. It is now easier to put the country on the map.

The Department of Tourism said it spent P63 million to buy spots for the campaigns
television advertisements on CNN, which will be aired in Asia, Europe and the United States The
Philippines being an unknown and not on the radar of Germans, English and American travelers
was noted and that the new campaign aims to get the country in global perception (Flores, 2012).

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 Performance

In the years 2001 2003, the time of WOW Philippines, the country had a tourist arrival
ranging from 1,796,000 to 1,933,000. Given that the WOW Philippines campaign had a 2.4
million goal for 2013, it was sadly not attained. In the year 2004, the country finally reached the
2,000,000 mark of tourists (Index Mundi, n/a). These statistics are very mediocre in comparison
to our neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, the Philippines welcomed a total of 4,681,307 foreign visitors in 2013,

surpassing the 4,272,811 arrivals recorded in 2012 by 9.56%. This performance marked a new
milestone for the tourism industry as visitor arrivals demonstrated sustained growth despite the
challenges of the previous year (Jimeno, 2014). This is proving that the new campaign is taking
effect. We may be able to reach the goal of 12 million tourists by the year 2016.

Increase in foreign visitors may be a reason for the DOT to invest more on tourism. More
tourists will surely reflect on our economy to increase due to the revenue to be collected from
them.

Events That Have an Effect on Tourism

A countrys promotional slogan or campaign is not the only basis for tourist arrivals.
There may be other reasons of tourists to visit like they received recommendations from a friend.
The negative aspects of these effects are the decline in tourism arrival whenever there is a safety
concern or a health concern going around.

Regarding safety concerns, the country had a number of turmoils. One event is the Abu
Sayaf kidnapping in Dos Palmas resort in Palawan in 2001. This may or may not have an effect
on the tourism arrivals for the year 2001 and the following year. The development of the Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), last 2003 may also have an effect because the disease
started in china, which is a country close to the Philippines. Since people are afraid to catch the
disease, they may have refrained from travelling during this period. Another event is the Manila
Hostage Crisis of 2010. The Chinese tourists may be wary now of travelling to the country
because they are concerned of their safety.

Asian Country Competition

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 Our neighboring Asian countries also have their own tourism advertisements. Malaysia
has their well-known Malaysia. Truly Asia advertisement and Thailand has their Amazing
Thailand Advertisement. These advertisements are often shown on our television screens as
commercials. Our ASEAN neighbors have thrice or even four times as much number of visitors
than us. We do have beautiful tourist spots but when it comes to accommodation, we cannot rival
with other countries (Gamboa, 2012). Our airport, to start with, is not comparable to the airports
of Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Boracay, the most popular beach in the country has many accommodations. Numerous
hotels and restaurants have been established in the island; however, the Philippines have other
beautiful spots in need of development to accommodate tourists. The government and the private
sectors focus too much on 1 area when they can further develop other tourist spots.

Significance of the Study

In the context of Economics, this study has implied that the tourism campaign plays a
huge role in having more visitors in the country. The more we have visitors, the more we will
earn profit to further improve our accommodation to our foreign tourists. Better airports and
roads will be present once the Aquino government have taken consideration the economic
implication of the tourism campaign, "It's More Fun in the Philippines". Having knowledge with
this study will also help instigate an improved economy through the help of the data that the
researchers have gathered. Furthermore, this research is important as it would analyze the
developments of campaign promotions as the Department of Tourism find the perfect solution to
have increasing foreign tourism arrivals of the country.

Conclusion

Based on the hypotheses formulated by the researchers, the following conclusions are
listed:

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 1. Its More Fun in the Philippines has a better advertising strategy that WOW
Philippines. Despite WOW Philippines winning the Best Marketing effort of a
National Tourism Organization award, many Europeans were still unaware of what the
country offers. Meanwhile, looking at how Its More Fun in the Philippines advertises
through social media, it is clear that it has gained more attention that the first campaign. It
is also to be taken into account that Its More Fun in the Philippines has a bigger budget
than WOW Philippines.
2. Advertising, and safety and health concerns have a direct relation to the volume of
tourists of a country. With the SARS, Abu Sayaff kidnapping and Manila Hostage crisis
under the WOW Philippines campaign, the volume of tourist arrival was lower
compared to the tourist arrival 2012 onwards under the Its More Fun in the Philippines
campaign. There have not been major safety and health concerns going about the country
since 2012.
3. Its More Fun in the Philippines is proved to be more effective than WOW
Philippines. Looking on the visitor statistics, which are reviewed by the researchers, it is
obvious enough to conclude that the new campaign created by the Department of Tourism
was continuing to attract foreign tourists to visit our country and to see what we have to
offer to them.
4. Based on the research done, the researchers therefore conclude that Its More Fun in the
Philippines is a continuous succeeding campaign. It is consistently reaching and
spreading to the different countries from Asia to Europe and America. In 2016, it is
expected to reach 12 million foreign visitors by the time President Benigno Aquino III
steps out of his position.

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