Manila pumps in $3m to kickstart tourism

<p>MANILA: The Philippines has launched a new US$3 million </p><p>tourism campaign, WOW Philippines, to kickstart its moribund industry, </p><p>which has been laid low by the kidnapping of tourists. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The WOW campaign - short for "Wealth of wonders" - encapsulates the </p><p>variety of attractions the country has to offer, from nature, culture, </p><p>adventure and sports tours. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Tourism secretary, Richard Gordon, said. "We chose WOW because it's </p><p>short, easy to remember and is understood in many markets." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The general WOW theme will be divided into several sub themes to </p><p>highlight the outstanding features of various destinations as well as </p><p>interesting tourist activities. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Gordon said he came up with some of the taglines during brainstorming </p><p>sessions with agency executives. These include "Warm over winter" for </p><p>the beaches promotions, and "Weather our waves", which refers to an </p><p>international windsurfing competition in Siargao. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A budget of 150 million pesos (US$3 million) has been alloted for </p><p>television spots on CNN and press advertising. Gordon said he intended </p><p>to farm out portions of the campaign to five agencies" to engender </p><p>competitiveness. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Caballero Partners won work for the initial WOW posters. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>