First off, I am actually against the move to change the DOT slogan "Wow Philippines", which was formulated during the time of then Sec. Richard Gordon. It was catchy and effective. Two words that have successfully drawn the Philippines into the world tourism map. And what an intelligent move then Secretary Ace Durano made when he retained "Wow Philippines" during his administration.
"Wow Philippines" successfully competed with "Malaysia, Truly Asia", "Amazing Thailand", and "Uniquely Singapore" until one man, just for the heck of introducing a new slogan, changed it to the controversial "Pilipinas, Kay Ganda!", which sounded like the title of an early morning TV show and whose graphics became even more controversial because it was found out to have been copied from a Polish tourism brochure.
But "Wow Philippines" is dead and "Pilipinas, Kay Ganda" suffered a heart attack even before it was officially printed in our tourism brochures. And because we can't revive "Wow Philippines", I am slowly becoming a fan of "It's More Fun in the Philippines". An honest and truthful answer to the question "Why should we go to the Philippines?". It's more fun here - the people are smiling, the beaches boast of pristine waters and white sandy shores, and there are plenty of fun activities to do in the 7,100 islands that comprise the entire country.
The DOT can advertise the new slogan over CNN or BBC, costly but proven-effective, just like what the other countries are doing, but I hope the country's tourism advertisements will not be followed by news of bombings, kidnappings, and beheading in Mindanao, which are not the kind of "fun" that we are trying to sell to international tourists.
