‘LOVE FROM THE CITY OF LOVE’: Mayor says he supports new tourism slogan

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Amid varied reactions to the country’s new tourism slogan, Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City saw nothing wrong with the “Love The Philippines” campaign.

“I support the slogan,” Treñas briefly said when asked about his take on the campaign.

When pressed if the new slogan could go beyond the “Wow Philippines” or “It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” Treñas believed that any slogan that seeks to promote the country is good.

Meanwhile, Treñas said Iloilo City will also be launching its own slogan.

Known as the City of Love, it will initially adopt the tagline, “My Heart Beats in Iloilo City.”

Iloilo City, which has used the tagline “Meet You in Iloilo,” is the country’s official candidate for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the field of gastronomy.

Aside from its world-class Dinagyang Festival and Paraw Regatta, Iloilo City is also known as a gastronomic hot pot.

The city is famous for La Paz batchoy and pancit Molo and its heritage churches and other structures.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) unveiled the new slogan during its 50th anniversary on June 27, 2023.

“Love The Philippines” replaced the old slogan of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines which was launched in 2012.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco told CNN Philippines that DOT spent 49 million for the development of the tourism campaign.

The slogan earned mixed reactions with Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) president Fe Abling-Yu telling Philippine Daily Inquirer that it is good enough as it needs some tweaks “to make it more catchy and have better name recall.”

American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines executive director Ebb Hinchcliffe said he needs to see the entire ad for context.

“I haven’t seen an ad yet, so I’m not sure what context it is being used [in]. At first glance, it’s not catchy enough. However, it is time to move on. Let’s give this one a try and let’s help it be successful,” Hinchcliffe said in an interview with Inquirer.