Fashion
The more awkward, the better. The Department of Tourism (DOT) is now calling on netizens to submit entries for its new contest, which aims to award cringe-worthy photos of tourists in the country’s top tourist destinations.
“From the almost picture perfect photos of white, sandy beaches mangled by poor cropping or a giant thumb on the lens, everyone is invited to upload his own version of photo fails on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the official hashtag #Visitphilippinesagain2016,” DOT said.
The contest aims to attract visitors, who already went to the Philippines once, by implying in a humorous way that there is always something they could do much better on their next visit in the country.
The winner will be determined based on the following criteria: fun; beauty of the Philippines captured in the shot; and creativity.
Interested participants may visit DOT’s official online accounts at itsmorefuninthephilippines.com, facebook.com/itsmorefuninthephilippines, and @TourismPHL for Twitter and Instagram accounts to get additional details about the promo.
The deadline for the submission of entries is on Jan. 15, 2016.
The contest will serve as the online launch of DOT’s Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016 promotion campaign, which aims to repeat the success of the Visit the Philippines Year (VPY) 2015 campaign.
Photo fails (Screenshot from ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ website)
DOT officials earlier directly attributed the surge in the number of tourist arrivals this year to the VPY.
“2016 will be a year of again. Our VPA campaign will again highlight the Philippines as a multi-level experience destination with our warm Filipino people, exciting activities, and endless new discoveries in our award-winning destinations that are worth a repeat visit,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. said.
Jimenez disclosed they are also coordinating with the tourism establishments in of the possibility of providing packages and rewards to tourists, who will visit the country multiple times.
“Visit the Philippines Again 2016 is going to be the most massive retail-focused effort the Philippines has ever made. We are negotiating with tour operators and travel agents to give incentives to returning visitors to the Philippines,” Jimenez said.
Among the major events lined up for the VAP is the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2016, Routes Asia 2016, Madrid Fusion Manila 2016, 2016 Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship, MTV Music Evolution 2016, and the Travel Blog EXchange (TBEX).
