The Philippines invites UK holidaymakers to visit its shores through “Visit The Philippines Year 2015” campaign

The Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) officially declared 2015 as ‘Visit The Philippines Year (VPY)’ during a travel industry event at The Marriot Hotel in Kensington on Friday 30 January 2015.

Through the campaign, the Philippines Department of Tourism aims to inspire millions of holidaymakers to visit the destination and discover for themselves why ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’. Visit the Philippines Year 2015 will feature an eclectic mix of events and festivals including concerts in Manila from international artists such as One Direction and Bastille, as well as a number of cultural performances showcasing the world-class talent of Filipino musicians with events such as the Malasimbo Music & Arts Festival and the MTV Music Evolution. Also included the line-up of events is the famed gastronomy event, Madrid Fusion-Manila.

The campaign will also unveil some of the Philippines’ historic treasures and natural wonders promoting the rich culture and heritage of the country, including one of the world’s New7Wonders of Nature, Palawan’s famed Puerto Princesa Underground River, and the historic town of Vigan, recently named as one of the New7Wonder Cities.

“It’s a very exciting time for the Philippines, and our Visit the Philippines Year 2015 is a great opportunity to finally share with the world the unique experiences and adventures our country has to offer. We have a number of highly anticipated international events and festivals taking place this year, which commenced with the recent visit from Pope Francis himself in January. We hope VPY will encourage more travellers to visit the Philippines this 2015 and look forward to welcoming even more UK visitors during this exciting time," Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.

During the event on Friday evening, the Tourism Promotions Board also announced the launch of its year-long branding campaign for VPY 2015 with 110 London taxis sporting destinations such as Albay, Banaue, Bohol and Palawan. The tip-up seats will also feature Davao and Vigan and 15 fully wrapped buses around London will showcase Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Banaue, Vigan, Siargao, Cagayan de Oro, Albay, Cebu and Davao with VPY 2015 at the back. Another 10 new routemasters (bus 9 & 10) will also promote the two most known paradise destinations in the country - Boracay and Palawan.

The Philippines is an archipelago composed of 7,107 islands and is divided into three main islands: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It is considered by many as one of the best dive destinations in the world, being situated in the very centre of marine biodiversity. With more islands to discover in a lifetime, there are great treasures to explore and endless possibilities to be had when visiting the Philippines.

Photo Caption 1 (from left to right): Richard De Villa (Philippines Department of Tourism) presents Tom Blake (Ultimate Diving) and Marcelina Jesus (Ultimate Diving) with one of the competition prizes given out at the event, a book on the Philippines.
Photo Caption 2 (centre): H.E. Enrique Manalo (Philippines Ambassador) and Marjorie Valiente Mohammad (Philippines Department of Tourism) celebrate the launch of 110 VPY 2015 branded taxis in London with key tour operator and travel agent partners.
Photo Caption 3 (from left to right): Marjorie Valiente Mohammad (Philippines Department of Tourism), Jemma Allerton-Griffiths (Kuoni), Georgie Edwards (Kuoni), Adele Jones (Kuoni), H.E. Enrique Manalo (Philippines Ambassador), Richard De Villa (Philippines Department of Tourism) and Olivia Knight (Kuoni).