Content creators back PHL tourism push

The Department of Tourism (DoT) said on Monday that it has tapped content creators to promote local destinations and activities in the Philippines, following its push to strengthen domestic tourism.

“My generation plan trips very differently, we use guide books, ask friends for advice, brochures, but most of the time, we would call a tour operators,” Tourism Secretary Maria Bernardita “Dita” Angara-Mathay told reporters in a press briefing on Monday.

“But today, things are very different. People just open TikTok. It’s easy to see why; it doesn’t feel like advertising. It feels like real people sharing real moments,” she added.

The Digital 2026 Philippines report by DataReportal found that 82.2% of Filipinos use TikTok and spend an average of 1.5 hours per day on the platform.

Leveraging the social platform’s influence on the daily lives of Filipinos, DoT has partnered with TikTok Philippines to produce Wanderlust Week, a seven-episode mini-reality travel series.

The Wanderlust Week will feature content creators, namely Renée Dominique, Léah Good Vibes, Mark Odea, and Mike Yu. Each episode will showcase local cuisines, attractions, and culture in Cebu, Siargao, and Manila.

“Increasingly, what we’ve seen is that travel discovery begins online,” TikTok Philippines Head of Public Policy Yves Gonzales told reporters in the same event.

“People turn to creators for recommendations, real experiences, and authentic perspectives that help them decide where to go and what to explore,” he added.

TikTok Philippines also noted that the series aligns with the Tourism Department’s recently launched Discover More to Love campaign.

“TikTok has always been a discovery platform, whether it’s discovery commerce, discovery travel,” Mr. Gonzales said. “TikTok is a platform that you actually see authentic videos, authentic storytelling, authentic experiences. It’s more than just a superficial, but it’s really experiential.”

“Through content, our Philippine destinations become more accessible, more relatable, and more meaningful to audiences,” he added.

The creator-led series will premiere on TikTok beginning June 30.

DISCOVER MORE TO LOVE
The Discover More to Love campaign aims to make local travel more competitive and affordable by offering travel bundles from different stakeholders.

Under the marketing campaign, accommodation, airfare, and activities offer discounted rates, reaching up to 70%.

“What we did was to address the travel inflation by putting all the entire ecosystem…to come and agree to offer bundled and competitive packages,” Ms. Angara-Mathay said.

“It’s the first time [they are] coming together and saying, let’s make our hotels continue to operate, even during the lean months instead of zero, instead of laying off,” she added.

The Tourism chief noted that the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) Philippines, one of the agency’s partners, has generated over P100,000 in sales since its launch on Friday.

“We’re so happy of the positive response. In fact, our platform crashed on the first day but what that means is that many are looking at us, many are curious,” she said.

DoT showcases over 3,000 travel deals from hotels, tour operators, airlines, and other travel-related businesses nationwide as part of the campaign to boost domestic tourism. — Almira Louise S. Martinez