DOT’s enhanced branding is Philippines’ Love Letter to the world

On the celebration of the golden year of the Department of Tourism (DOT), President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., together with Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and other officials, led the unveiling of the country’s enhanced tourism campaign “Love the Philippines” as the highlight of the Department’s 50th founding year celebration at the iconic Manila Hotel, Tuesday (June 27)

Proudly presenting “Love the Philippines” to a crowd composed of former DOT chiefs, officials and employees of the Department's central and regional offices, heads of government agencies including Cabinet Secretaries, house representatives, tourism stakeholders, and the media, Secretary Frasco described the enhanced campaign as timely for the DOT’s golden anniversary celebration.

DOT, Intramuros tap PayMaya to enable safe re-opening of museums and sites through cashless payments

CASHLESS PAYMENTS FOR SAFE VISITS TO INTRAMUROS. Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (in photo) led the re-opening of select sites and museums in the walled city of Intramuros to the public as part of its efforts to re-ignite domestic tourism and boost the recovery of the local economy. In this photo, Sec. Puyat is scanning the PayMaya QR code displayed at ticketing booths using her phone to pay contactless for tickets and other admission costs as part of the minimum health standards being observed in Intramuros.

Visitors to the recently re-opened historic sites and museums in the walled city of Intramuros in Manila will be assured of a safer experience as digital financial services PayMaya offers cashless payment options for fees and tickets in the various tourist attractions in the area. 

The Department of Tourism and the Intramuros Administration have tapped PayMaya to provide cashless payment options via PayMaya QR as it re-opened select sites such as Fort Santiago, Casa Manila Museum, and Baluarte de Santiago on a limited-capacity basis to the public. 

When tourists and visitors go to these sites, they only have to scan the PayMaya QR displayed at the ticket booth using their PayMaya app to pay for the necessary fees and avoiding person-to-person contact with the site personnel. 

“PayMaya fully supports the DOT's efforts to bolster safety in the domestic tourism industry as we chart our path toward economic recovery. With the help of cashless payments powered by PayMaya, local tourists and visitors in Intramuros and other local destinations can be assured that it’s not just more fun but, more importantly, more convenient and safer to travel around the country at this time,” said Orlando B. Vea, Founder and CEO of PayMaya. 

The DOT has been promoting various local tourist destinations such as Boracay, Bohol, and Palawan for domestic travelers in order to re-ignite interest in local tourism sites and support the sector, which was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Linking the past to the future with cashless payments 

“We are glad to offer safe and convenient cashless payments to all of our tourists and visitors in Intramuros with the help of PayMaya. Today we start with select museums and sites but we are looking forward to equipping the other attractions and merchants around Intramuros with cashless payments, so that this historic walled city of the past can also be a progressive, cashless city of the future,” said Atty. Guiller Asido, Intramuros Administrator. 

Aside from empowering Intramuros with PayMaya QR for ticket sales in sites and museums, the Intramuros Administration is also utilizing PayMaya's digital invoicing solution, allowing them to accept card (Visa, Mastercard, and JCB) and PayMaya for online payments meant for rental payments of merchants, permits, and other similar transactions.

Other than cashless payments, the Intramuros Administration has also collaborated with PLDT wireless subsidiary, Smart Communications, in rolling out free Wi-Fi access around various sites and public areas of Intramuros, as well as interactive tourism markers powered by QR codes and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology as part of its nationwide Digital Tourism Program and #TravelSmart campaign.

To support the government in this endeavor, PayMaya has also enabled government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), as well local tour operators and travel agencies, to accept cashless payments from local tourists and visitors. 

At the same time, PayMaya is the only financial technology company in the Philippines capable of enabling the entire transportation chain across the entire country with the widest range of solutions – a vital component in the revival of the local tourism industry. 

Getting your own PayMaya account and enjoying the convenience of traveling safe and paying cashless is very easy. Just download the PayMaya app at https://official.paymaya.com/CAK1/425eb133 and register an account to find out what it’s like to go cashless with the fastest, safest, and most rewarding way to pay for anything online and in stores! Remember, for your safe travel needs, don’t pay cash. PayMaya! 

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, communities, and government. Through its enterprise business, it is the largest digital payments processor for key industries in the country including "everyday" merchants such as the largest retail, food, gas, and eCommerce merchants as well as government agencies and units.    

Through its app and wallet, PayMaya provides over 28 million Filipinos with access to financial services. Customers can conveniently pay, add money, cash out or remit through its over 200,000 digital touchpoints nationwide.  

Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 37,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide serves as last-mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to digital services. To know more about PayMaya's products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Why It's More Fun In The Philippines!

There are so many reasons why it is more fun in the Philippines, and aside from breathtaking views, one can find himself in an adventure anywhere and anytime in the country especially when it comes to food tripping. This is why I never get bored of exploring starting from by birthplace and home city Manila.

I also explored several places in the country but I'm looking forward to traveling to more this year. It's indeed fun and addicting at the same time.  It's really more fun in the Philippines!

This is a pre-qualifying entry to the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge 2012 by IntramurosManila.Asia. This campaign is fully supported by the Intramuros Administration, Barbara's Restaurant, Celdran Tours, Mabuhay Guides, Pilgrimage Pilipinas,Castillan Tours, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc., and Payless Pancit Shanghai.

LAKBAYAN: It's More Fun In The Philippines!

2012 is indeed a year of the start of new things especially for the tourism industry in the country. No question, we have great places and things to do here and DOT recently launched the new tourism campaign It's More Fun In The Philippines. With the hashtag #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines trending in twitter world wide. 

It does have this 'cool' factor connected with the slogan and is perfect with photos. However, there are still a dash of controversy with its similarity with the 1951 Switzerland poster with the slogan "It's More Fun in Switzerland". Others use the slogan and post them with pictures that contains negative propaganda and others with subliminal meanings. I admit to be surprized with the new logo but finally realized that there is no need to destabilize the campaign because we have not given it time to prove its effectiveness. 

LAKBAYAN: Basta Pinas Biyahe Tayo!

Pinoys love to travel, and love to take photos and pasalubong. Though many would like to travel overseas, have we tried to roam around the country and see the many beauty and wonders one can find locally? The country is made us of 7, 107 islands which is waiting to be discovered by us. We all know that the usual places like Boracay and Puerto Galera draws a lot of tourists, but there are also places that are far more exciting yet few only would know.