By Azer Parrocha
MANILA -- Entries are now being accepted for the Department of
Tourism’s (DOT) Bring Home a Friend to the Philippines (BHAF), an incentive
program that encourages Filipinos to help promote tourism by inviting foreign
friends for “a reunion of sorts.”
The contest, which runs from October 15, 2017 to April 15, 2018, allows
Filipinos residing here and abroad as well as expatriates based in the
Philippines to win prizes in the electronic raffle draw for simply inviting
their foreign friends to come visit the Philippines.
“We have this reunion of sorts to redefine Philippine tourism,” Tourism
Secretary Wanda Teo said in her speech during the launch of BHAF in Resort’s
World Manila on Saturday night.
Teo said the success of the program would not be measured in terms of
the number of foreign invitees entering the country but on its ability to
“empower” Filipinos to actively take part in tourism promotion.
"The success we are hoping for is our ability to empower our
people and give them the opportunity to contribute to our people’s growth.
They
are after all the core strength of our tourism campaign. It’s more than
bringing friends and family back home…It’s our shout out to the world to come
and see the Philippines,” Teo added.
Prizes to be won for “sponsors” (Filipinos inviting foreign friends)
include an Eastwood Le Grand Tower studio condo unit (first prize), an orange
metallic Toyota Vios 2017 Model (second prize), or PHP 200,000 worth of gift
certificates from Duty Free (third prize).
Meanwhile, prizes for “invitees” (foreign friends visiting the
Philippines) include two roundtrip international business class tickets plus
two roundtrip domestic tickets to Palawan (first prize), two roundtrip
international premium economy tickets plus two roundtrip domestic tickets to
Cebu (second prize), and two roundtrip international economy tickets plus two
roundtrip domestic tickets to Davao (third prize).
To join, the sponsor and invitee must duly accomplish the registration
via the BHAF microsite accessible via the DOT website tourism.gov.ph or
through the booths located at specific airports.
Full instructions can also be
found in the website.
BHAF’s upgrade
BHAF was first introduced by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor in 1994 when a “tambiolo” or raffle system was then used.
BHAF was first introduced by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor in 1994 when a “tambiolo” or raffle system was then used.
In an interview with reporters, Tourism Assistant Secretary and
spokesperson Frederick Alegre said he hopes that being digital this time, the
contest will get online traffic.
“We’re very confident with the type of social media presence Filipino
have it will pick up and catch fire. It’s something that triggers more
attention and people themselves will make it happen,” Alegre said.
During the BHAF launch, the DOT also introduced actor-singer Piolo
Pascual as BHAF Tourism Ambassador who was also taken to sing the program’s
jingle.
Gabor, who was present during the event, meanwhile lauded Teo’s efforts
to revive a program first launched some 23 years ago.
“It’s very difficult to an official of the administration to do a
program that has been done by predecessor. But she was determined and showed
that she was brave to go through with the project,” Gabor said in a short
speech.
Gabor said Teo broke the barrier of government officials by continuing
a good project.
“She (Teo) really deserves a big hand. A program like this should not
die. It’s a classic program it should continue,” she added.
According to the DOT, word-of-mouth plays a big role in motivating
tourists to visit the Philippines.
Data from the DOT 2016 Visitors Sample Survey showed that 51.80 percent
of tourists came to the Philippines upon friend’s recommendation. (PNA)
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