DoT Launches ‘Bring Home a Friend’ Program in CAR

The Department of Tourism (DoT)called on Cordillerans here and abroad to help in promoting tourism by inviting their foreign friends to come and visit the Philippines.

The DoT- Cordillera Regional Director Marie Venus Tan made the appeal during the festive launching of the “Bring Home a Friend to the Philippines” program at the SM City Baguio on December 20. It was attended by guests from the various local government units, regional line agencies, tourism industry stakeholders and other sectors.

Tan said that the “Bring Home a Friend to the Philippines” is a referral incentive program that aims to foster love of country among overseas Filipinos by reiterating their role as positive enforcers of Philippine tourism.

Originally implemented from 1994 to 1997, the DoT led by Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo revived the program to encourage Filipinos, residing here and abroad plus expatriates based in the Philippines to help promote the country’s tourism industry.

The program also utilizes the expatriates as Philippines’ “Ambassadors of Goodwill”.

“In order to entice overseas Filipinos to participate in the program, we will appeal to their sense of nationalism and love of country while providing them with the chance to win attractive prizes in the raffle draws for the Sponsoring Overseas Filipinos and their Invitees or their foreign friends,” Tan said.

The program is anchored on the opportunity presented by the presence of millions of Filipinos residing and/or working abroad.

She also encouraged the different sponsors to include Cordillera as one of the destinations of their foreign friends who would be coming to the country. She said that Cordillera has been a favorite destination for mostly European and Asian tourists aside from local tourists.

The Bring Home a Friend program kicked off last October 2017 and will run until 15 April 2018, Tan said.

To qualify for the program, Filipino sponsors should first register their details at www.bringhomeafriend.online. The sponsor would then fill out an invitation that would be sent to their friends.

Sponsors also include Filipinos with dual citizenship living in the Philippines or abroad as residents or overseas contract workers and foreigners or expatriates living in the Philippines permanently or temporarily for a minimum of six months.

Invitees, on the other hand, could be anyone holding a foreign passport or dual citizenship living abroad for a minimum of six months prior to the event and has travelled to the Philippines during the specified period of time. After traveling to any part of the country, the invitee should upload in the website proof of his or her trip such as a boarding pass.

Filipinos or Philippine expats who invite foreigners to visit the country will have the chance to win a condo unit from Megaworld Corporation for the first prize, a Toyota Vios for the second prize, or P200,000 worth of gift certificates from Duty Free Philippines.

Their invitees can win roundtrip international and domestic tickets, and tour packages to Palawan, Cebu or Davao. (JDP/RMC-PIA CAR)