By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Tourism (DOT) is tapping P-pop group BINI as its new tourism ambassador, DOT Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay officially announced Friday.
Angara-Mathay said the agency is currently refining the details of the upcoming collaboration, but confirmed that the girl group is among the Filipino talents the DOT is planning to partner with to boost tourism promotion.
“I can say so (that they’re already our tourism ambassador). May signing pa siyempre kasi we have to work through the schedule, etc. But we are aligned,” she told reporters during BINI’s courtesy visit at DOT Makati.
“Each girl actually represents a province or a town, and they’re very, very knowledgeable about what is the charming feature of the town—And each girl member has that to bring to tourism,” she added.
DOT Assistant Secretary Ren Sapitan said the agency had been in talks with the girl group since their performance at Coachella, taking into consideration their vast reach and the traction their performance has made among the Filipino audience.
“The talks today, the courtesy call by BINI, is a signal to a bigger and lasting partnership. And hopefully, this extends beyond that P-pop ecosystem,” he said.
Star Magic and ABS-CBN TV production head Lauren Dyogi, for his part, said a collaboration with the DOT would be beneficial not only for the girls and ABS-CBN but also for the entire industry.
“We have not finalized anything… (But) this is a start of hopefully a long-lasting partnership in helping promote Philippine tourism,” he said.
The eight-member BINI, known for their hit songs “Pantropiko,” “Salamin, Salamin,” and “Cherry on Top,” has gained popularity for their upbeat dance pop and has been dubbed the “nation’s girl group.”
BINI is composed of Aiah, Maloi, Jhoanna, Mikha, Sheena, Colet, Gwen, and Stacey.
Angara-Mathay earlier said the DOT is looking to partner with at least two P-Pop groups but has yet to confirm which group would be next.
The tapping of Filipino talent comes as the DOT doubles down on efforts to strengthen domestic tourism.
Previously, the DOT partnered with Korean actor Seo In-guk as the Philippine Tourism Ambassador for South Korea, the country’s top source market for foreign visitors.
