New York – For the first time in Southeast Asia, a national tourism organization teams up with the award-winning creative technology agency, Beautiful Destinations, which built the largest travel and lifestyle portfolio on Instagram and Snapchat.
From 11 – 24 May 2016, the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is bringing in to the country five (5) of the biggest influencers from the Beautiful Destinations team who will capture destination images and videos in a unique perspective and curate them in a way that will drive interest amongst its followers and inspire them to visit the Philippines.
The team from Beautiful Destinations will be composed of its Founder and CEO, travel social media expert, Jeremy Jauncey; Head of Brand Partnerships and celebrated travel drone pioneer, Tom Jauncey; Community Manager and London’s top Instagram travel photographer and videographer, Jacob Riglin; world-renowned iPhone-only photographer James Relf Dyer; and the videographer for American DJ duo – The Chainsmokers, Sam Kolder.
Some of the top Philippine destinations that the team will travel to include Cebu, the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines and home to some of the country’s most iconic heritage spots; Bohol, home of the world-renowned Chocolate hills and the world’s smallest primate, Tarsier; Palawan, the title-holder for the World’s Best Island according to Conde Nast Traveler; Manila, which was included by travel publication “Lonely Planet” among Asia’s coolest cities; and Pangasinan, home of the Hundred Islands Natural Park.
The Beautiful Destinations team will share moments throughout each day of the trip on the Beautiful Destinations Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the PDOT’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, reaching more than 10 million followers around the world. The videos will also stream outside the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, giving passersby a glimpse of the teams’ daily adventures in Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Pangasinan, and Manila.
In Manila, the PDOT will host an InstaMeet between the Beautiful Destinations team and local travel and lifestyle influencers from the Philippines whose photos have been featured on the Beautiful Destinations Instagram page. The meet will provide a platform, both to the local and foreign travel influencers, to exchange insights and ideas about photography, travel, and lifestyle. Some of the local influencers invited include celebrated Cebuano furniture designer Vito Selma, Filipino backpackers, and photographers Jaypee Swing and Rod Ruales.
“Advertising is evolving away from an art of interruption and towards an art of inclusion. We’re showcasing living, breathing, destinations stories in real time and are incredibly excited about partnering with the Philippines Department of Tourism to harness the power of Instagram & Snapchat,” said Jeremy Jauncey, Beautiful Destinations Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Jauncey added that “Shooting what we call social-first content prioritizes unique perspectives shot by social media experts, that captivate travelers in a much more genuine way than content typically shot for print and broadcast campaigns.”
“With the highest percentage of its population highly active on social media compared to any other country, the Philippines has been dubbed as the social media capital of the world. On many occasions, the PDOT would leverage this strength by utilizing social media in most of our campaigns. Social media has, in fact, allowed us to be a game-changer in the tourism industry through our It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign, whose central strategy is executed and propagated by millions of active, enthusiastic Filipinos themselves, who feel they have the power to persuade people to visit their country as tourists,” says Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.
“As the social media landscape continues to develop at a rapid pace, we have to adapt to changing times in order to stay ahead of the curve. Collaborating with Beautiful Destinations, which has already set the global standard for creating social content, is surely an effective way to make our country’s presence in the digital space more felt by travelers who are highly reliant on social media,” Secretary Jimenez added.
