Tourists trapped

The controversy about the slogan of the Department of Tourism (DOT) has been swirling for some time, and hasn’t abated despite the spate of soothing messaging emanating from government mouthpieces.

From “It’s More Fun In the Philippines”, a slogan that has captured the attention and wallets of tourists as well as the hearts of Filipinos everywhere, the admittedly-relevant question has been raised --do we opt for something else? Is it time? And of course, what would be the alternative?

No, it’s not “We Give the World Our Best”, which is a tagline practically begging to be memed (think ‘brains’, maybe ‘women’, maybe ‘human capital’, maybe even our souls). According to the DOT, the new slogan is going to be something else, and it might pop up this month.

How exciting. The critics are in the wings, ready to pounce. In fact, some knives have been let loose, not just sharpened. But this exercise of attracting travelers begs the question: What exactly do we have to offer once the tourists arrive? Even if this is a successful marketing campaign that will garner many awards and deliver millions of tourists, what are we supposed to welcome them with that will make them “ooh” and “aah”? And make them keep coming back?

Unfortunately, there are so many existing pain points that surely, can be addressed within the term of the current administration. The long lines at Immigration, for one. What foreigner will relish the experience of enduring a long-haul flight, and then, upon their very first minute of arrival at our humid shores, being greeted with congested queues? Not just long queues --that might even be fine if the processing was quick. But sometimes, it can take hours of lining up while the sometimes snappish agents make weary travelers shuffle through. What a welcome, indeed.

Let’s talk about the experience of finding a ride out of the airport. There are numerous touters and scammers that are a pain in the neck to deal with after one collects luggage. Is it possible for the DOT to make them all go away? And can the DOT just supply a magic formula for seamless transition from airport to city destination? Public transportation should be efficient and affordable. Our airports are not.

Can we just offer bus rides to transport hubs, perhaps (hoping for a fast train a la Hong Kong or Taipei, or even a regular train like Bangkok, would be hoping in vain)? Not everyone can afford limos or luxury sedans upon arrival. Not everyone has private chauffeurs and bodyguards to greet them and pave the way. Supplying quick and cheap alternatives is the common sense option.

What about the pesky QR code that’s been mandated for travelers? Do we really need this? Does anyone make the effort to check the veracity of the information required by government, and then painstakingly supplied by the traveler? Last month, I zipped in and out of the country, and yes, spent precious time filling in the datapoints required by the etravel site. Was the QR code even inspected by Immigration? Nope! Total waste of time.

Wouldn’t the traveler experience be more pleasant if the authorities just removed this requirement altogether? How about we just scan passports? Sounds efficient? Sounds painless?

Same goes with leaving the country. More interminable lines waiting to be processed by understaffed counters. Filipinas being hassled if they are traveling alone just because they are single and the agent is suspicious they are going to look for work abroad. More travel taxes collected and yet, we aren’t seeing improvements in tourism services. The list goes on.

We haven’t even tackled inter-island travel yet. What about functioning and nice-smelling bathrooms at ports and piers? What about information centers which do the actual job of dispensing tips and safety advice to tourists? What about cracking down on low-life criminals hanging about boat terminals? These are low-hanging fruits and quick wins which are sure to endear yourselves not just to foreign guests, but also to domestic tourists.

Maybe a slogan isn’t so important. Perhaps an ad campaign is premature. Fix what needs fixing first --and then we may no longer need a spending extravaganza of advertising dollars. After all, word of mouth goes a long way. And the word today is, well, perhaps we do not want to hear what the tourists here are saying.

Let’s fix that, shall we?