Various Public Perceptions on the Effectiveness of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Campaigns in Uplifting and Promoting Philippine Image

Abstract

Communication has always been an integral part of civilization because of the various functions it performs. People are informed of the facts of life and living through communication. It is evident that communication will remain a pivotal process for humankind. Due to its impact, various fields have emerged to explain and further understand the complexity of this process. A major field that transpired from the concept of communication is Public Relations or PR. It is concerned with what information should be transmitted to whom, when, where and how. In this endeavor, it utilizes various tools and strategies. Inherent in the process of public relations is the task of image-building, that is creating a reputation, maintaining it, and protecting it. Consequently, it is not only concerned with information but persuasion as well. This has been the major concern of all individuals and organizations at present. An organization that is tremendously burdened with the task of image-building is the tourism organization. It facilitates the development and growth of a country's tourism industry. In order to achieve these, it should ensure that the country has a favorable image and should strenuously work to maintain, protect and promote this. In the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is the institution primarily responsible of guaranteeing the country's positive image. Recently, the DOT has been criticized for ineffectiveness because of the low tourism growth rate of the country. Many have compared the Philippines with neighboring countries such as Thailand and Singapore, and stated that the country has a great tourism potential. But, to the dismay of many, the Philippines failed to achieve Thailand's eight (8) million tourist arrivals in the year 2000. In fact, the country could not even maintain the two (2) million mark it achieved in 1996. Furthermore, the tourism growth rate of the country has been declining for the past three (3) years. Many have associated these events with the inefficacy of the DOT. Thus ii is the goal of this study to analyze this issue concerning doubt and controversy on the effectiveness of the Department of Tourism. One way of doing this is by scrutinizing the campaigns formulated and implemented by the DOT in promoting the Philippines. In this light, the study aims to discover "What are the various public perceptions on the effectiveness of DOT campaigns in uplifting and promoting Philippine image?" The sub-problems are: (1) What is the nature of DOT? (2) Whal campaign strategies were employed by the DOT in different periods? What were the reasons behind their choice of strategy for each period? How did the sociopolitical context of the Philippines affect their choice of strategy? (3) What are the different perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the DOT campaigns in uplifting and promoting Philippine image? and (4) Among the campaign strategies implemented by the DOT, which were perceived to be effective by the different publics? The paper is focused primarily on communication, specifically on public relations and how ii is applied in the tourism context. The Department of Tourism was the organization in focus and its campaigns were analyzed. Public opinion about the campaigns and organization was gathered to discover their effectiveness. The data gathering was from October 2001 till January 2002. The research utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods of data gathering. It used descriptive research design in discovering aspects of the issue concerned and evaluation followed to discern the implications. Library research was used to learn about the history of the department and some data about the campaigns they have implemented. Content analysis was used to compare the three most recent campaigns. Surveys were used to acquire public perception on the Philippines, the department and the campaigns. A scheduled interview with a DOT official was requested to reinforce the data obtained from the other research methods. A checklist for the content analysis of the campaigns was formulated to obtain data regarding certain aspects of a particular campaign and to compare it with another. Two DOT officials were tapped to answer the checklist together with the researcher. A scheduled interview with a director at the DOT took place and this provided the facts about the department and how it performs its duties, Two survey questionnaires were created to discern public perception from one hundred (100) DOT employees and sixty-five (65) local and sixty-five (65) foreign tourists chosen through convenience sampling. Statistical and componential analyses were used to evaluate the data. Based on the data obtained and analyzed, it appeared that the Department of Tourism is the government's arm in facilitating the tourism industry. It is aided by its four attached agencies in its task of policy formulation, strategic and marketing planning, legislative liaison, inter-agency and intra-governmental coordination, regulatory control of the industry sectors, and delivery of support services for domestic and international tourism promotion. It is mandated to encourage, promote and develop tourism as a major socio-economic activity with the support of both private and public sectors. It is guided by the 20-year Tourism Master Plan of positioning the Philippines as a prime tourist destination and spreading the benefits of tourism to the wider segment of the population. From 1985 to the present there have been five (5) administrations, from Ex-President Ferdinand Marcos to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Within those eighteen (1 B) years, the Department of Tourism had ten (10) secretaries from Mr. Jose Aspiras to Mr. Richard Gordon. And within this span of time, there have been ten (10) major campaigns and programs. The DOT does not have any standards or criteria in formulating the campaigns but they do consult certain experts and market statistics for advice. Among the campaigns, excluding the current campaigns, Ms. Mina Gabor's "Best of the Islands" Campaign and "Bring Home A Friend" Program were perceived to be the most effective. On the other hand, Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta's "Rediscovery Philippines" Campaign and "Balikbayani" Program were perceived to be least effective. The current campaigns of Mr. Gordon are the "WOW! Philippines" campaign and the "Volunteer 12" program, promised to revitalize the ailing tourism industry. Most of the respondents believe that the Philippines has a negative image and the campaigns have failed to reach their supposed target audience, thus, they have been regarded as ineffective. Furthermore, because of the campaigns inability to reach several expectations, the implementing organization, which is the , is perceived ineffective.