DoT promotes RP as ‘beach capital & scuba diving haven of Asia’

Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Richard Gordon is bullish in promoting the country as a beach capital and scuba diving haven in Asia following the recent succes of the country’s exhibition at the World Travel Mart in London.

The winter season in the United Kingdom and other places in the world works best for its “WOW” campaign or “Warm Over Winter.” Gordon said, “the coming cold months in these countries is the best time to invite them to come over to the Philippines’ tropical paradise.”

He went on to say that Philippine beaches could give the other countries’ beaches a run for their money. “We can really claim we have some of the best beaches in the world, the only advantage other countries have is they infuse so much money in promotions and advertising. Our beaches get their reputation and advertising through word of mouth. Now that we are beginning to advertise over BBC and CNN, we expect more tourists coming not only to our beaches but to our other destinations as well.”

Prior to the World Travel Mart, Gordon was able to elicit support and form agreements with the countries’ top scuba diving associations in his sales mission trips to Japan and Korea.

Japan’s Ocean Field Company and its associate Nagai Travel Service will organize the first ever Japanese scuba diving school trip to the Philippines, which will bring more than 200 Japanese high school students from Yao Minami Public High School on February next year.

Ocean Field Company president Koji Nimura and Nagai Travel service director Yukihito Konishi are eyeing the Ocean Field Diving College, Inc. in Cebu as diving school.

Japan has about a million divers, 750,000 of which are certified. With limited dive sites in Japan, Ocean Field Co. believes that the study trip would be meaningful for the students to appreciate the underwater treasures available in the Philippines.

Gordon also met with Marine Arts Center, publisher of widely-circulated dive magazines such as Travel Diver and Marine Photo, and the organizer of Japan’s biggest annual dive event, the Marine Diving Fair (MDF), which attracts around 45,000 visitors.

In Korea, Gordon signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Korea Underwater Diving Association (KUDA), the largest diving group in the country with 100,000 members. Under the agreement, DoT and KUDA will jointly support the creation of special dive tour packages for Koreans, the establishment of the first KUDA overseas branch in Cebu and the promotion of the Philippines as Korea’s priority diving destination.

The Philippines, with its 40,000 square kilometers of coral reefs and its wide variety of marine life, remains to be Asia’s underwater paradise.