Manila festivals restore tourism appeal

Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) is looking to reshape Manila's image with the launch of a new campaign which focuses on promoting the city's festivals.Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim said the department will release a schedule of festivals throughout the year on a monthly basis in a bid to convert the celebrations into tourist attractions, BusinessWorld reported.

"Soon, both foreigners and locals will know the metropolis beyond being the premier gateway and capital city of the Philippines,” Mr Lim said.“There are special events in Metro Manila worth witnessing."The schedule’s first event was held earlier this week with the Feast of the Black Nazarene on 9 January and is followed by events from January to March including the Santo Niño, the Caracol Festival in Makati and the Pangisdaan Festival in Navotas.

“These festivals have been around for some time but we have no developed it [to attract] local and foreign tourists,” Mr Lim said.“Metro Manila needs attractions, and one we should take advantage of is our own festivals.”The campaign comes after a hostage situation by an ex-policeman resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists in August last year.Mr Lim said that while the government is keen to restore the city’s image, it will hold off re-branding until it has developed its tourist attractions.

Source = etravelblackboard