The Philippines Department of Tourism has announced a year-long international campaign with leading youth tour operator, STA Travel, in order to promote and expand travel to the destination, from the 19-35 year old market. 

The Marketing partnership will target six international markets including Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, in order to meet the project objectives set out in the partnership agreement. These include an 80%-100% growth in market travel to the Philippines which is up to 7,000-8,000 additional travellers in the youth market over a twelve month period. The partnership also aims to engage customers, build awareness of youth travel in the Philippines and increase media coverage.

The campaign began in September 2014 and will run until September 2015. Specific activities include: internal communication and education, inclusion in collateral, online and in store displays, as well as FAM trips, digital and social media.

STA Travel will launch an "It's More Fun in the Philippines" campaign, which will engage with independent film makers who will then visit the islands and create content that capture the allures of the region. The four films will depict Volcanoes and National Parks, Beaches, Island Hopping and Social Tourism.

STA Travel's Chief Executive Office John Constable said, "At STA Travel we are always focused on discovering new and exciting destinations for our travellers and this year we sent a team of product developers out to the Philippines to find out what it had to offer. As a consequence, we are now delighted to be working closely with the Philippines Tourism Board to promote such an exciting destination with our brand new ideas and tours. For example, we are supporting an initiative called 'Gawad Kalinga' which invests in the regeneration of local resource to build Philippine communities. We are confident the Philippines will be one of our must-visit destinations for 2015".

Chief Operating Officer, Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III says, "STA Travel is the top international youth tourism operator in our market and this is why we have chosen to work with them on this campaign.  We have known the potential of the Philippines as a youth tourism destination, especially in the last few years with the improvement in infrastructure and travel between islands. The Philippines has numerous value-for-money options that compete with other popular destinations in the region. In addition, we have a number of off-the-beaten-track and non-traditional offerings across the islands that are certainly of interest to this market.

With 2015 named as the banner "Year of the Philippines", this is a timely partnership due to numerous new developments and an extraordinary calendar of events!  We are excited to work with STA in promoting our destination to the active and youth travellers of the world."

For more information on Philippines visit www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com.

 Photo Caption:

1: Partnership Agreement is signed at World Travel Market 2014 by Philippines Department of Tourism and STA Travel.

Front Row: Ms. Marie Venus Q. Tan , Officer In Charge, Department of Tourism, Europe, Mr. Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III, Chief Operating Officer, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Emma Hudson, STA Travel Global Marketing Consultant, Assistant Secretary Eugene T. Kaw, Philippines Department of Tourism

2: Mr. Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III, Chief Operating Officer, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Emma Hudson, STA Travel Global Marketing Consultant, Assistant Secretary Eugene T. Kaw, Philippines Department of Tourism

Downloadable Images Here: http://we.tl/imEEgnsrhl

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