I opened my Twitter account last Friday morning and found that almost everyone in my feed is tweeting ‘#ItsMoreFuninthePhilippines’. Apparently, the Department of Tourism just launched it’s new tourism campaign – It’s more fun in the Philippines.

It's more fun in the Philippines!

My initial thought was that it’s too simple, and wordy. But then again, it works. The new slogan is quirky, understandable, and relatable. Instantly, the tag line became an Internet hit. You’ll find Filipinos in Facebook and Twitter sharing their own reasons why it’s more fun in the Philippines. You can find several amusing ones here, and here.

However, just a few hours after the launch, the campaign was caught in a copycat controversy. Someone unearthed the 1951 tourism ad of Switzerland bearing the line “It’s more fun in Switzerland”, and accusations of unoriginality and copying ensued.

As for me, I don’t really care if it was mere coincidence or an outright copy of the old ad. The slogan works. Besides, the phrase “it’s more fun” is too generic; it’s not surprising that it was already used before. Anyway, what really matters is that our target audience, the tourists, get the message – that when they visit the Philippines, they’ll have fun. The ultimate goal is to entice and convince tourists to choose the Philippines as their main destination of choice.

For all those who still have a problem with the DOT’s new campaign, I suggest you read this article, “Some Think #It’sMoreFuntoBash. I DISAGREE“. We really need to stop bashing this campaign, and start supporting it.

“Sure, you have all the right to bash this one and assert your own idea. You live in this country and, ultimately, you are a co-owner of whatever country brand our government rolls out.”

At the end of the day, we want the tourists to come to our country. So if you’re looking for several reasons to visit the Philippines, check out the 25 things that are more fun in the Philippines.