Skift Take
The Department of Tourism Philippine’s most recent video is the embodiment of “talk about creative advertising”– entertainers mold their bodies into birds, mountains, waterfalls, and oceans to remind travelers that there are employees behind every tourism experience, and that they deserve recognition.
Mary Ann Ha
In the face of among the most longheld problems in tourist– the traveler’s failure to respect the connection in between the land and the true neighborhood, often resulting in the appropriation of both the destination and culture — the latest advertisement from the Department of Tourist of the Philippines chooses to speak to the phenomenon directly.
“For many years, we have actually shone the spotlight on the nation’s sensational beaches and landscapes, its marvelous heritage sites and natural destinations,” reads the video caption on their Facebook page, “As tourism begins to pick up once again, we acknowledge individuals who have constantly made our destinations more remarkable and more enjoyable– our tourist employees.”
Individuals Make the Destination (BINAURAL VARIATION) on YouTube
The nearly two-minute advertisement, titled “Individual Make the Location”, occurs completely in a studio. It acts nearly as an art movie, silently mentioning in the start that there was no usage of any aerial drone video footage, flashy photography, unique results, or actors associated with the making of the video.
Rather, energetic and classy dancers fill the video camera frame, utilizing their painted limbs to play out landscapes, animals, and famous natural monoliths throughout the Philippines. These entertainers remain in continuous motion throughout the whole video, as they twist and turn their bodies to provide the props and sets that would have otherwise been purchased and sourced in shooting a typical tourism advertisement.
In addition to aesthetically illustrating major natural websites and outside activities, the advertisement utilizes audio that is made up of raw soundbites from 23 areas all throughout the nation, from “crashing waves in Samar” to the drumming sound of La Union’s finest percussionist.
During a time when we see travel project after travel campaign intending to grab the Western traveler’s attention with trendy pop songs or upbeat advertisement jingles, the Department of Tourist Philippines remained devoted to what they understand the beauty of their nation can truly offer, despite whether it might appear less attractive to the party-goer or adrenaline-junkie.
A Message Long Overdue
Tourist is about desire, and to market a desirable product, it’s undeniable that curation has to be a factor. Nevertheless, curated content in tourism campaigns, specifically when it involves bringing electronic camera crews to untouched natural websites or depicting “delighted” natives whose houses are being flaunted as unique places to present in front of, can quickly end up being harmful to both the area and the stability of the regional culture.
Like the current task by the Philippines tourism team suggests, tourism organizations need to show a stronger determination, no matter how desperate they get with lower pandemic numbers, to communicate that “enjoyable” as a tourist does not appear out of thin air. It does not clean up on beaches, or grow from palm trees, and is most certainly not a complimentary privilege. It grows from the workers who make certain to carefully curate a smooth “paradise” experience, it’s built by the management and the service employees who are consistently required to mix into the background, and is talented by the natives and locals who are willing to open their yards to outsiders so that they might be able to share the happiness of their homeland to others as well.
With a deeper acknowledgment of this messaging, travelers will not just keep this newly-found regard for individuals at the front of mind, however will likewise hopefully have a more powerful dedication towards appreciating the land and focusing on nature preservation and environment consciousness when taking a trip.