Experiencing The Philippines Makes It More Fun


My first official full-time job is a web copywriter for local hotels. Part of my responsibility as a hotel website's content writer is giving the guest a taste of the place just by simply reading a few lines from its website. It's not an easy task to do if you haven't been to the property, but fortunately, some of our hotel partners were kind enough to have us over for a full experience of the hotel and its surrounding places of interest.





The 360 view from Tugawe Cove Resort's View Deck

Admittedly, I haven't seen much of the Philippines. I spent 95% of my years growing up in Manila, generally, so it was only until I worked as a copywriter at DirectWithHotels that I got to see more places other than the common ones like Laguna, Batangas, and Boracay.

Overlooking view at The Oriental Luxury Suites Tagaytay
 But I'm not here to talk about my job and the local places I've been to. I'm here to talk about the recent confusion between the Department of Tourism's "Experience The Philippines" call-to-action and the slogan, "It's More Fun in the Philippines."

Earlier this week, the DOT gave a preview of a promotional video they'd be releasing on Independence Day, about a blind Japanese man experiencing much of what the country has to offer. (Read more about it here) I'm so stoked about McCann's idea about this ad because it showcases that our local experiences go beyond simply seeing. Here in the Philippines, your entire experience is a beautiful play of all senses.

Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar's replica of  Sanctuario De San Jose
The call to action of the said video was "Experience The Philippines" which recently sparked controversy. People discoursed about it online, how it was a better / worse than "It's More Fun in the Philippines." Here's the thing, though. The Department of Tourism is still retaining our country's slogan, "It's More Fun in the Philippines" while "Experience the Philippines" is an invitation to everyone, foreigners and locals alike, to engage all senses in having a feel of what the country has to offer.

sumlang lake, camalig, albay
Sumlang Lake, Camalig, Albay
Let's put it into perspective, that people initially thought "Experience The Philippines" will replace "It's More Fun in the Philippines." I've seen some remarks about how it wasn't much of an effective statement. To be honest, liking it was more of an unpopular opinion and I guess I was one of the minority who liked "Experience The Philippines." I was looking at it more with the perspective of a web copywriter for local hotels, more than anything.

As a writer, experience is extremely important to me.

Lakeside Casitas at Tugawe Cove Resort


I believe each hotel and each destination has its own identity. Extracting and understanding that identity requires experience and I've been blessed with numerous instances of doing so. Experiencing any given place helped me create taglines and headlines that spoke beyond the hotel. I created content that showcased the soul; content which aimed to give the guest a feel of the same experience I had, or even more. When I create any website content, I want the guest to book not just because of the hotel's facilities and amenities, but also because of the memories they'd be able to create through the experiences they'd have. This is why the statement "Experience The Philippines" spoke to me on a personal level and I loved everything about it. I think it's the perfect call-to-action for anyone who wishes to discover why it's more fun in the Philippines.

View from a room at The Oriental Legazpi
So, go ahead. We urge you to experience the Philippines because having these genuine experiences, these genuine memories, make it more fun.

Hotel photos in this post:


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What did you think of the call-to-action, "Experience The Philippines"?

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