Freezing Americans urged to visit PH

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. waves from a double decker bus of City Sightswrapped inPhilippine tourism promotion ads at the Union Station in Washington, DC. (PHILIPPINE EMBASSY PHOTO/MAJALYA FERNANDO)

WASHINGTON, DC — In light of the subfreezing temperatures and arctic blasts in large parts of the United States, the Department of Tourism is enticing Americans in major East Coast cities to make a tropical getaway to the Philippines.

For the past several weeks, double decker hop-on-hop-off tour buses with wrap-around photographs of popular tourist destinations in the Philippines such as Bohol, Boracay and Camarines Sur could be seen cruising Washington, DC, New York, Philadelphia and Miami.

The Philippine Embassy said the campaign is part of the tourism department’s efforts to promote 2015 as “Visit the Philipines Year.”

“This harsh weather presents the perfect opportunity for Americans to travel to the Philippines and experience the beauty and warmth the country has to offer,” according to Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.

“Our American friends will also find it easier to head off to Manila when Philippine Airlines starts its regular flights from New York in March,” he added.

Cuisia said the bus wraps that showcase warm Philippine beaches will definitely catch the attention of Americans who are experiencing one of the coldest winters in recent history.

Josh Levee, General Manager of City Sights, the bus tour company carrying the Philippine tourism ads agrees. “In this weather, it is definitely enticing. I want to go!” he said.

Vector Media’s Jordan Perlmutter said tens of thousands of people see the Philippine tourism ads wrapped around City Sights double decker buses at New York’s Times Square; Washington’s Jefferson Memorial; Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell; and Miami’s South Beach, among others.

“Double decker bus wraps are iconic media forms and are the largest ads roaming the country,” said Perlmutter whose company undertook the tourism promotion campaign in cooperation with 360i, a New York-based advertising company.