DOT, Travel Influencers Join To Entice More Tourists To Visit Phl

Five of the biggest travel influencers from an award-winning creative technology agency that built the largest travel and lifestyle portfolio on Instagram and Snapchat will soon reach Philippine shores, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Tuesday.

The agency, Beautiful Destinations will be in the Philippines from May 11-24 to capture destination images and videos that drive interest amongst its followers and inspire them to visit the country.

DOT said that this marks the first time in Southeast Asia that a national tourism organization is partnering with the Beautiful Destinations team.

The team will be composed of its Founder and CEO, travel social media expert, Jeremy Jauncey; Head of Brand Partnerships and celebrated travel drone pioneer, Tom Jauncey; Community Manager and London’s top Instagram travel photographer and videographer, Jacob Riglin; world-renowned iPhone-only photographer James Relf Dyer; and the videographer for American DJ duo – The Chainsmokers, Sam Kolder.

Some of the top Philippine destinations that the team will travel to include Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Manila and Pangasinan.

DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. noted how social media has allowed the agency to be a game-changer in the tourism industry through our It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign.

He said that the campaign’s central strategy is executed and propagated by millions of Filipinos themselves, who “feel they have the power to persuade people to visit their country as tourists.”

“Collaborating with Beautiful Destinations, which has already set the global standard for creating social content, is surely an effective way to make our country’s presence in the digital space more felt by travelers who are highly reliant on social media,” Jimenez said.

“With the highest percentage of its population highly active on social media compared to any other country, the Philippines has been dubbed as the social media capital of the world. On many occasions, the DOT would leverage this strength by utilizing social media in most of our campaigns,” he added.

Beautiful Destinations Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Jauncey for his part expressed excitement about partnering with the Philippines Department of Tourism to harness the power of Instagram & Snapchat.

“Advertising is evolving away from an art of interruption and towards an art of inclusion. We’re showcasing living, breathing, destinations stories in real time,” Jauncey said.

“Shooting what we call social-first content prioritizes unique perspectives shot by social media experts that captivate travelers in a much more genuine way than content typically shot for print and broadcast campaigns,” he added.

The Beautiful Destinations team will share moments throughout each day of the trip on the Beautiful Destinations Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the DOT’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, reaching more than 10 million followers around the world.

On the other hand, the videos will also stream outside the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, giving passersby a glimpse of the teams’ daily adventures in Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Pangasinan, and Manila.

In Manila, the DOT will host an InstaMeet between the Beautiful Destinations team and local travel and lifestyle influencers from the Philippines whose photos have been featured on the Beautiful Destinations Instagram page to provide a platform to exchange insights and ideas about photography, travel, and lifestyle.

Some of the local influencers invited include celebrated Cebuano furniture designer Vito Selma, Filipino backpackers, and photographers Jaypee Swing and Rod Ruales. (PNA) BNB/ANP