DOT to return travel incentive program ‘Invite Home a Friend’

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism(DOT) will bring back a travel incentive program aimed at the North American market, as it targets to attract the younger generation of Filipino expatriates.

In a statement over the weekend, Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo said the agency plans to run the “Invite Home a Friend” program every quarter of the year through a raffle draw.

 “We are hoping to award two lucky (a balikbayan and a friend-nominee) winners beginning September this year,”Teo said during a recent visit to Los Angeles.

She said travel reward may be used anytime between January and April 2018.

The Invite Home a Friend program was first launched by former tourism secretary Mina Gabor in 1994 in a bid to attract Filipino-Americans in the US market to visit The Philippines.

The travel incentive program offers free flights, hotel night stay, as well as tour packages for destinations such as Siquijor, Masbate, Negros Province, Palawan, Cebu, Baguio, Davao or Ilocos.

Teo said the program is the tourism department’s way of saying thank you to the country‘s balikbayans.

DOT-Los Angeles Attache Richmond Jimenez echoed Teo’s message saying the program is  a great way of thanking US-based Filipinos who continue to come back to the Philippines.

 “Our people is our strength. With our beautiful destinations as backdrop, it is in the company of great people that makes every visit to the Philippines more memorable and worth coming back for,” Jimenez said.

Based on latest figures from the DOT, the US market is still the second largest source of visitors from January to May of this year accounting for 428,767 visitors or 14.87 percent of the 2,882,737 total tourist arrivals.

In addition, the DOT cited data from a survey it conducted in 2016, which shows that 56.60 percent of travelers visiting the Philippines from the US likely returned for a repeat visit.