AT least 500,000 more foreign visitors are expected by the Department of Tourism (DOT) when it launches its “Bring Home a Friend” (BHAF) program in October.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo made this bold prediction as she spoke with the BusinessMirror on the aims of the program, which will be launched in several countries abroad.
“I’d like to think we can reach a target of 1 million arrivals,” said Teo, but agreed that 500,000 new arrivals because of the program alone could be more achievable.
In a news conference on Tuesday, the DOT said the launch of the BHAF program is timed with the onset of the Christmas season, which in the Philippines usually lasts from October until January.
“We would like to close the year strongly for the tourism industry in terms of visitor arrivals and carry the momentum into the coming year,” the DOT chief said. The program takes after former Tourism Secretary Mina T. Gabor’s own BHAF implemented in 1994 by the DOT, and is meant to encourage Filipinos to invite their foreign friends to come and visit the Philippines.
Any Filipino, residing in the country or overseas, stands to win an array of prizes under the program that will run for six months from October 15, 2017 up to April 15, 2018. Among the prizes are a condominium unit from Megaworld Corp., a brand- new Toyota Vios and a P200,000 gift certificate from Duty Free Philippines Corp. Their “friends” or foreign guests can win round-trip international flight tickets and tour packages to Palawan, Cebu and Davao.
“This shall be a thrilling experience for us Filipinos, who are known for our genuine hospitality and for celebrating a long Christmas season,” Teo said.
To join the program, the sponsor should register at the BHAF home page, accessible via DOT’s web site https://tourism.gov.ph.
Registration may also be accomplished at BHAF booths soon to be set up at select international airports in the Philippines.
The number of eligible entries will also depend on the points they earn corresponding to the guest’s country of origin: Asia and Oceania/Australia 2; and Africa, Middle East, Europe and America 3. Conversely, the more foreign friends the sponsors invite, the more entries they can submit.
Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs show 9.1 million overseas Filipinos, of which, more than 3 million reside in the United States, while more than 2 million are based in the Middle East. Other countries with large numbers of Filipinos are Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Italy and Australia.
Employees of the DOT and its attached agencies and their relatives to the third degree of consanguinity are prohibited from joining the BHAF program.