3 November 2014 - The Department of Tourism (DOT) launched its latest tourism promotion campaign in Singapore on October 28. The launch coincided with a dinner event organized by the Department of Tourism to thank the travel partners based in Singapore. DOT Secretary Ramon J. Jimenez, Jr., Tourism Promotions Board Chief Operating Officer Domingo Ramon Enerio and other officials from the DOT were in Singapore to launch the DOT’s new campaign.
The dinner event was held at the Conrad Centennial Hotel during which the top management of the travel and tourism business in Singapore experienced a night of song and dance, the trademark of Filipino entertainment. There was also a large delegation from the Philippines consisting of representatives from top-notch hotels and resorts in the country.
In his opening remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio A. Morales acknowledged the excellent work of Secretary Jimenez and DOT officials in producing astounding results for the Philippine tourism industry. He likewise thanked Mr. Charles Leong, Philippine DOT Representative in Singapore and his team for a job well done as evidenced by the “consistently increasing number of tourist arrivals from Singapore.”
Secretary Jimenez thanked all the travel and tourism partners in Singapore for their continued interest in doing business with the Philippines. He said that the Philippines and Singapore are truly partners in the tourism business, citing that the two countries are well poised to engage in both cooperation and competition or “coopetition” with each other. He added that “in reality, Changi is the best airport of the Philippines, while Boracay is Singapore’s best beach,” eliciting laughter and amusement from the crowd.
There was also a raffle draw where two-night accommodations in various famous hotels and resorts in the Philippines were given away. The grand prize was a round trip business class ticket to Manila sponsored by Philippine Airlines.
The event also coincided with several business meetings with travel industry partners as well as the participation of the Philippines at the ITB Asia 2014, the largest gathering of travel and tourism industry players in the Asia Pacific Region. END