TOURISM consultant Robert Joseph is appealing to Filipinos to hype good things about the country rather than linger too much on the negative events.
Joseph said these “overrated reports” on killings, kidnappings, terrorism, child prostitution and other crimes paint a negative picture of the Philippines in the international tourism market.
“There has to be balance. While we report on these issues, we also need to report good ones,” said Joseph, stressing that these crimes are not isolated to the Philippines.
“These are also present in other countries. However, the difference is that they chose to highlight good things about their country,” he said.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo has also appealed to the members of the media to tone down reports on the alleged extrajudicial killings to help boost tourism in the country.
Teo, in a report, said negative news items such as killings will make it harder for the agency to sell the Philippines and attract more tourists.
Teo also noted that Vice President Leni Robredo’s message criticizing the war on drugs before the United Nations forum as detrimental to achieving the tourism targets.
The Department of Tourism is aggressively selling the Philippines overseas through international travel shows and expos. Teo maintains high hopes of high arrivals to the country amid negative reports, with the surge of tourists from China, Europe and Asia.
Teo was also those who joined President Rodrigo Duterte in his recent trip to Thailand. Both countries resolved to revive the 23-year-old tourism cooperation agreement.