PNoy tells Londoners: It’s more fun in PH

MANILA, Philippines – London may have its Queen and the Olympics but for President Benigno Aquino III, it’s still more fun in the Philippines.

While on a 3-day visit to the United Kingdom, Aquino and his Cabinet took a break from business and diplomatic meetings to make a pitch for Philippine tourism on Tuesday, June 5.

The President and his men gamely posed for a photoshoot with one of the iconic London double-decker buses featuring advertisements of the new tourism campaign, “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” Watch the video above.

The bus was parked in front of the Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel, where Aquino is billeted.

With the President in the photoshoot were Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo, Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas, Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras.

Biggest European market

The photoshoot comes on the heels of the launch of the Tourism campaign in London. The London blitz began last May through a motorcade, and ads on 25 double decker-buses, 50 black cabs, and underground stations.

Malacañang said the United Kingdom is the Philippines’ top tourism market in Europe in 2011, with visitor arrivals from the UK reaching 104,466 or a growth rate of 7.78%. It is also home to 250,000 Filipinos, the largest Filipino community in Europe. 

The bus and cab ads show the tourism slogan, logo and images of tourist destinations like the Ifugao Rice Terraces, and the Puerto Princesa Underground River.

The Tourism Department said media hype through the London cabs will run until early 2013 to capture the millions of visitors for Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee, the Olympics, and season 2012-2013 of the Fulham Football Club of the English Premier League.

The “more fun” campaign was launched in January 2012. It uses social media and crowdsourcing to get Filipinos to contribute ideas and images promoting the Philippines. – Rappler.com

Related story:

• PNoy firms up almost $1-B investments
• PNoy meets Cameron, invites him to PH
• Aquino to hobnob with British royalty
• Ayala, Sy, Gokongwei to join Aquino in US, UK trips