We don't need the word "more" to make the Philippines attractive... or if you want to use the word more PLEASE TELL US WHY!
There are fun areas in the Philippines, no questions asked but in tourism, it's unethical to use deception just to get traffic. Just think... some bloggers may even claim to be experts just to get traffic (and I have done that, caught red handed). In my case, I have dropped any pretense that I'm a know it all and decided it's time to be myself. Now for my argument that why "more" is not necessarily needed in the marketing campaign.
For one, just take a look at the need of a good tagline. It has to be credible and catchy. Catchy in a sense that you attract audiences but credible also, that you don't drive anything preposterous nor drag others down. Sad to say but such a habit seems to be taken from America's culture of dragging each other down.
Competition in business is a reality but don't destroy your competitor!
One may consider this KFC advertisement. It's making fun of Chicken Joy its competitor. Now I would admit I do like KFC Chicken over Chicken Joy but when it comes to burgers, Jollibee is my favorite. While you should be wary of competition but fighting dirty is NOT ethical. You have to realize that you and your competitor are both necessary to keep the economy up and running. More competition means more revenue for the country. Monopoly will ruin the economy.
Likewise the Philippine tourism slogan having the word "more" inserted is preposterous. It could have been better if they wrote, "It's Fun To Be in the Philippines". Inserting the word" more" into the slogan can suggest that the Philippines is the best place in the world. Sure it can gather some customers for now but remember, money that's easy come is easy go. Just think about selling garbage in fanciful covering may sell for the day but for a lifetime, such a scam would definitely backfire against the scammer.
The whole idea to market the Philippines as "more fun than anywhere" else is also unethical. It's like that KFC commercial ad I just showed that... was demeaning its competitor. Likewise, the Philippines is trying to project itself as a major world power in tourism even when must suffer all these issues.
These issues can be as follows in Metro Manila which makes it poor for tourism:
- The poor service of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
- Heavy rate of crime.
- High traffic.
- Finding out that the hotels are too full.
- High pollution
- Flooding due to improper drainage and garbage.
- The list can go on and on...
Telling tourists that the problems above are "More Fun in the Philippines" is certainly a lack of credibility. Even a tourist whose intelligence level is rock bottom won't buy it. Only a person who shelves his common sense (No matter how high or low his IQ is, note that Paolo Benigno "Bum" Aquino has ha high IQ and an academic achiever) will buy it.
Also if the Department of Tourism should be honest, it SHOULD do the following credible steps to improving tourism:
- Give warnings to tourists of places NOT to go. It would be crazy to endorse places like Basilan, Sulu and Tondo as tourist spots.
- Never assure tourists that everything is more fun in the Philippines. Rather tell them where they can find fun in the Philippines.
- Have a temporary closure of tourism in situations like national crisis (ex. After the Rolando Mendoza incident) and natural disasters because we want the tourists to come out alive.
- Not become defensive when a fiasco happens. Instead, they should use it to write a tourist's guide on how to stay safe. Chinese tourist agencies had offered such a guide WARNING tourists of cheating peddlers in Beijing being a problem and to report them when they are found to make it a safer place.
- If a tourist spot is under repair, they should be honest enough to admit it. Nobody wants to be excited to go to Bohol only to find out that all the Loboc floating restaurants were under repair. China's tourist agency informed tourists ahead of time that some areas of the Forbidden City were under repair.
The government should also PRIORITIZE fixing the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
While it's no longer Number 1 but it's still at a high rank at Number 4 as the World's Worst Airport. It still suffers from issues like cleanliness, bad restrooms, rude staff, swinders, etc. My experience at Mactan Airport vs. NAIA was a huge contrast mind you. Sometimes it's a pain to really have to pass through Manila to enter Cebu for foreigners which can also deplete tourism. I mean while Singapore and Japan may not have that problem to direct flights to Cebu but other countries like Hong Kong and China will still have to pass through Manila.
If they wanted to use "It's More Fun in the Philippines" they can specify certain activities that is more fun in the Philippines.
The tagline can be true and can also not be true on a case to case basis. Like "Eating Filipino Food in QUALITY Native Restaurants - It's More Fun in the Philippines" or "Eating Delicious Philippine Mangoes - It's More Fun in the Philippines." For one, the Philippines is an exporter of quality mangoes. Cebu is the home of these dried mangoes.
Honest, credible, catchy campaigns will definitely work better than fast earning ones which are just like the Ponzi schemes. You earn a lot at first but you lose a lot later.
You may also read this article by Ilda Ilda from Get Real Philippines:
Why We Don't Need to Emphasize That It's More Fun in the Philippines
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