By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
THE Philippines will be hosting once more the MTV Music Evolution that will bring together the biggest names in local and international music scene, as part of the celebration for Visit Philippines Again 2016 (VPA 2016).
Sponsored by the government-run Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), MTV Music Evolution 2016 will be held on June 24 at SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. TPB is the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, TPB COO Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III said: “The hosting of the MTV Music Evolution Manila for the second time in two years is testament to the DOT-TPB’s continuing desire to aggressively position the Philippines as a premiere events venue in Asia. It signals the country’s determination to compete more actively for our rightful share of tourist traffic, receipts and events.”
The DOT has projected some 6.5 million foreign visitor arrivals for 2016, lower than its original 10-million target.
Among the talents participating in the MTV Music Evolution 2016 are: Los Angeles-based electric dance trio Far East Movement; Filipino pop superstar Gary Valenciano and his son, Gab Valenciano; iconic international pop band and prolific hit-maker OneRepublic; Billboard Hot 100 artist and American singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha; South Korea’s favorite K-pop idol female group Apink; and local pop darlings James Reid and Nadine Lustre.
Enerio explained the event would enable fans to experience and discover the evolution of pop music and its dance influence that keeps fans moving.
Recorded live for global telecast under the MTV World Stage global series, MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016 will reach an international audience of more than 750 million households in over 160 countries. MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer will be hosting the event, along with MTV Pinoy VJs Yassi Pressman and Andre Paras.
Asked to comment on the security aspect of the MTV event, on the heels of the tragic drug-related deaths at a recent concert hosted by a toothpaste company, the TPB chief stressed: “Organizers have been instructed to ensure the event will be peaceful, fun-filled and drug-free. All measures have been adopted to maintain peace and order, including the deployment of 60 K-9 dogs, 200 police officers and additional private security personnel inside the concert grounds and around the immediate perimeter of the venue.” Enerio also appealed to the attendees of the MTV event “to cooperate fully with security officials, so we can have joyful and uneventful celebration on June 24.”
The MTV Music Evolution: Manila Asia Special premieres on Channel MTV on Tuesday, July 19 at 4 pm in the Philippines and Singapore, and will be aired in other parts of the globe at different times.
Viacom International, a division of the listed Viacom Inc., owns and operates MTV. The latter is a premier youth entertainment brand, which originated in the 1980s as a 24/7 cable-TV channel featuring music videos of singers and bands, and youth-oriented TV shows.
VPA 2016 is the anchor marketing campaign of the DOT and TPB this year. “Visit the Philippines Again 2016 is going to be the most massive retail-focused effort the Philippines has ever made. We are negotiating with tour operators and travel agents to give incentives to returning visitors to the Philippines,” Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. said during the campaign’s launch last December.
Aside from the special packages for visitors, the DOT, together with the TPB, has partnered with the private sector and local government units in promising a bigger, greater and more exciting lineup of events and tourism product offerings that showcase the country’s competitive advantage as a destination. Aside from the MTV Music Evolution 2016, other major events during VPA 2016 include the Asean Tourism Forum 2016, Routes Asia 2016, Madrid Fusión Manila 2016, 2016 Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship and the Travel Blog Exchange, among others.