Tourism remains the focus for Southeast Asian nations looking to raise their profile with Canadians.
The most extensive campaign has been the Philippines’ Winter Escapade program, essentially a state-sponsored package offering a week-long tour of a mix of the country’s heritage and leisure destinations. It also targets the Canadian “snowbird” crowd looking to escape winter while experiencing something different and exotic.
The next wave of the annual campaign takes place in February, the consulate announced earlier this month (registration for the tour closes on Nov. 2). Unlike previous years, when the tour groups also made stops at Filipino businesses, with the intention of fostering trade and investment, this year will not feature such visits on the official itinerary.
Although organizers say they can still facilitate business meetings if desired, it is a telling sign that countries in Southeast Asia are fine-tuning their strategies to entice Canadians — lighter on the investment message, heavier on the tourism and culture.
The list of activities on the tightly-packed itinerary confirms this: A wreath-laying ceremony in the Manila park named after national hero Jose Rizal, Catholic cathedrals and shrines, a beach resort at Misibis Bay, and the 81-kilometre Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
The ASEAN community has been promoting itself heavily in the Lower Mainland this year. The re-launched ASEAN Festival earlier this month in Yaletown gathered diplomats from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. With Ottawa announcing a new mission to ASEAN last year, countries in the region are clearly looking to capitalize.
But there is clearly space for further growth, starting with the tourism sector. While it is unlikely that a single tour group will make a dent in their tourism numbers, the idea is that these Canadian travellers will spread the word about the Philippines upon their return. In 2013, prior to the launch of the program, Canadian visitors to the country numbered 131,381. Last year, there were 143,899 visitors, a 10-per-cent jump.
The numbers coming from Manila in the next few years will be more telling as to whether the country’s efforts are succeeding
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