Philippine Department of Tourism seeks to tie up with more celebrity tourism ambassadors

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) expressed its interest  to partner with more global celebrities as tourism ambassadors as it pushes to increase arrivals from key source markets.

The DOT signed a partnership with South Korean actor Seo In-guk on Friday, 21st February, under its Philippine Tourism Ambassador (PTA) programme.

In this capacity, Seo will help promote Philippine tourism in his home country.

Tourism secretary Christina Frasco pointed out: “We’ve already done it with Japan, with Alan Shirahama. Of course, we’re also looking to our other top source markets for globally known celebrities.”

Promoting with the stars

The PTA is a DOT-led initiative, implemented in tandem with its marketing arm, the Tourism Promotions Board.

It aims to invigorate arrivals, especially from key markets by collaborating with popular personalities from the target country.

In 2023, the DOT tapped Japanese celebrity Alan Shirahama, a member of the Japanese boy band Exile and is known for his roles in the J-doramas Daytime Shooting Star, Prince of Legend, and One in a Hundred Thousand.

With Seo, the DOT said it hopes to maximize the South Korean star’s huge following on social media and attract more South Koreans, especially those from his fan base, to travel to the Philippines.

Frasco has yet to identify what market the DOT is targeting for its next celebrity tourism ambassador.

The country’s top sources for inbound visitors are South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia.