Gordon backs new DOT slogan: ‘What’s important is the product’
PHILIPPINE Red Cross Chairman and CEO Dick Gordon, who launched and popularized the slogan “WOW Philippines” during his term as Tourism Secretary, supports the government’s new tourism campaign.
While he finds the new tourism slogan: “Love the Philippines” as instantly appealing, Gordon underscored that the success of Philippine tourism depends on the tourists’ overall experience of the Philippines.
“It is catchy and easy to recall! Connects easily with the long spelling of Philippines. It also serves as a double meaning call for Filipinos to love the country because we are well endowed with natural beauty and sights, and people share excellent traits such as being welcoming, happy and kind.
“Second, it is a statement of appreciation for the Philippines experience by tourists. Of course, the slogan will be meaningful if land, air and port infrastructure are continuously enhanced for pleasant access and the totality of our people remain honest, responsible and pleasant to all folks, foreign and domestic,” said Gordon, who served as Tourism Secretary from 2001 to 2004.
The former Tourism czar added: “What is important is the product: The little things count, such as the cleanliness of airports. The honesty of people working in tourism is also important. These things, combined with nature and historical sites and other wonderful places that tourists come to visit, comprise the tourists’ whole experience, which will make them want to come back.”
As Gordon congratulated the Department of Tourism on its 50th anniversary celebration, where the new slogan was launched, he called on Filipinos anew to each “act like the secretary of tourism” by being a steward of the country. He believes that this thinking will lead to a stronger tourism industry.
Gordon, who is also a former senator, is the principal author of the Tourism Act of 2009, which is the framework for a whole-of-nation approach to tourism as a source of sustainable livelihoods.
His flagship marketing campaign “WOW Philippines” earned recognition from the ITB Berlin Tourism Trade Fair in 2001 and 2002. He himself gained the respect of his colleagues in the industry across East Asia and the Pacific; in 2002, he was elected Commissioner for East Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the only Philippines tourism secretary to hold the post. He was also chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association in 2003.
