The Department of Tourism announces the new slogan to promote Philippine tourism during the 50th anniversary of the department attended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Manila Hotel on June 27, 2023. Jonathan Cellona ABS-CBN News
MANILA — Senator Erwin Tulfo wants to institutionalize the country’s tourism branding, saying the constant shifting of tourism campaign slogans isn't helping.
Tulfo, who chaired the Senate’s Subcommittee on Finance during the budget briefing of the Department of Tourism (DOT), filed Senate Bill 2511 or the “Philippine Tourism Campaign Slogan Act.”
The slogan has changed from "Wow Philippines" to "It’s More Fun in the Philippines," and is now "Love the Philippines.”
The measure orders the DOT to formulate the official tourism campaign slogan for at least 15 years.
“Sayang naman, hindi tumatatak eh, hindi nagre-register sa mga turista natin kapag sinasabing ‘Philippines.’ Kapag sinabing ‘Philippines,’ flood control, di ba? Kaya we have to come up. Wag naman every six years. Pansinin mo, tuwing may bagong Pangulo, administrasyon, palit-palit. So by 2028, iba na naman?” Tulfo said on Wednesday, September 30.
“(Si) DOT Secretary Dita Mathay, agree siya na di papalitan para tumatak sa mga turista,” he added.
Asked what a good tourism slogan would be, Tulfo said it is the DOT’s mandate to determine.
“Look at Malaysia. Pag sinabi mong Malaysia, alam mong ‘Truly Asia,’ di ba? Dapat may ganun din tayo. Hindi yung palit nang palit,” Tulfo remarked.
He also highlighted the importance of tourism, which is income-generating.
Earlier this month, the DOT said domestic tourism remains the core driver of the local sector, recording 134 million domestic tourists in 2024 and 6.48 million foreign arrivals in 2025.
A Tourism official even noted that the Philippines leads in tourist spending compared to its neighboring countries, with travelers to the Philippines spending an average of more than $2,000 each.
This makes the tourism sector the third-highest dollar earner for the Philippines after BPOs and migrant Filipino workers.
PH welcomes more than 2.9 million tourists from January to mid-June
In May, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said tourism accounted for 8.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2025 and employed 7.71 million people that year.
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