DOT preparing ad campaign for Boracay’s reopening

The Department of Tourism is now preparing a new advertising campaign for the reopening of Boracay island, Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

"Yes, we are already in the process. We are talking with top ad agencies to see how we can reopen a refreshed and better Boracay," Puyat told reporters in an interview in Makati City.

The country's top tourism destination has been closed to tourists since April 26 for a six-month environmental clean up and rehabilitation.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said the island will be reopened on October 26.

Puyat said the DOT is now bidding out for a media buying agency, which will find spaces and timeslots for the advertisement placements.

"You will be seeing it soon," she said when asked when the public can see the ad campaign.

The DOT is also bullish on the island's reopening and preparing for an expected influx of tourists.

"We’re more excited. Imagine, the closure of our number one tourist destination did not affect tourist arrivals. In fact, it increased... imagine with the reopening, so we’re quite excited," she said.

Despite the closure of Boracay, Puyat said, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 11.35 percent in June as they diverted to other destinations such as Mactan, Bohol, Siargao, and Palawan.

"They came mostly from US, China, Korea," she said. — BM, GMA News