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THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM has tapped the top glossy magazines of China and Japan, as well as South Korean dailies and Taiwanese television, to hype up traveler interest among the largest tourism markets for the Philippines.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said in a statement that the travel industry is pinning its hopes in local tourism icons—like the beaches of Boracay, the butanding (whale shark) attractions in Sorsogon, the Chocolate Hills, the Pagsanjan Falls—to attract more long-staying visitors from these markets.

Durano said the DOT recently helped the editors of Beijing-based Tourism Magazine and Japan’s Marine Diving Magazine, journalists from Korea Economic Daily and other Korean business and leisure papers, as well as a crew from Taiwanese television production “Beautiful Islands” in covering various Philippine destinations and attractions.

“Working with foreign magazines and television producers strategically allows us to highlight the best of our destinations,” he said. “It increases the country’s visibility overseas, especially among very specific travel sectors.”

Durano also said the DOT’s collaboration with Tourism Magazine, a high-end Beijing lifestyle publication, would help in enticing more of China’s growing affluent population to visit the country.

Also, Durano said collaboration with Japan’s Marine Diving Magazine would help the industry claim a bigger share of the Japanese diving niche.

“Marine Diving Magazine would feature the butanding of Sorsogon in a future issue,” he said.

Durano explained that scuba divers make up the largest segment of the Japanese outbound market, and that the DOT’s Team Japan was tasked to draw this market to Palawan, Apo Island and other dive areas.

At the same time, “Korean executives and weekend warriors will be the captive market of the DOT’s undertaking with Philippine Airlines and several Korean business and high-end sports publications,” he added.

Further, Taiwan-based Gala Television, producer of the travel show “Beautiful Islands” has lined up in forthcoming episodes the country’s various cultural attractions and accommodations.

• GSMA: Asia-Pacific still top mobile market
• Gov’t pays P306.7B in maturing debt
• Bacnotan may venture into BPO business

• RP raises $1.5B from int’l bond offering
• Shares slide 1.66% lower
• Economic crisis fears return
• Forex reserves as record $37.1B
• RP less vulnerable to crisis, says Fitch
• NFA rice procurement highest since 1979
• Treasurer sees drop in interest rates
• HK fund buys 13% of Alliance Tuna
• Philex reports P800-M output