The Department of Tourism (DOT) has officially named the P-pop sensation BINI as its newest tourism ambassadors. The eight-member girl group will promote the Philippines’ culture, destinations, and hospitality to local and international audiences.
The announcement follows the launch of the “Discover More to Love” campaign. This domestic initiative offers over 100,000 travel deals. It includes discounts from hotels, tour operators, and airlines.
The group visited Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay at the DOT office in Makati City on Friday. Secretary Mathay views the partnership as a way to use the “soft power” of pop culture. She intends to leverage the influence of Filipino artists to grow the tourism industry.
“Sometimes, the young people can actually direct a whole generation, a whole government or bureaucracy to go a certain direction, which will connect with a larger population and we made the right choice,” Secretary Mathay said. “A fresh takeaway from this first meeting is each girl actually represents a province or a town. They’re very knowledgeable about what is a charming feature of their town. I thought that the input is very refreshing, and each girl member has that to bring to tourism.”
The DOT plans to build a lasting relationship with the group. “We want a long-term relationship, ayaw namin ng isa lang. Kasi ayu’n ang may impact kung mahaba,” the secretary explained. “It shows a serious, sustainable, long-term partnership, so we’re in with them for the long haul. So that’s what we have in mind, and hopefully the group also has the same in mind.”
The agency will provide platforms for BINI to showcase diverse tourism offerings. These include the group’s interests in sports, cooking, and community visits.
“If they’re into cooking, they’re into sports, they’re into thinking about going back to their provinces and their communities, we’ll support that, even if they go abroad, we’ll support that,” Secretary Mathay added.
Star Magic head Laurenti M. Dyogi praised the government for supporting Filipino music and talent. “We have not finalized anything, but there are a lot of possibilities that we’re looking at that wouldn’t have been possible if DOT (Ren and the Secretary) has not initiated, reaching out and seeing a vision of a partnership with BINI and all the others that bring Filipino pride,” Dyogi said. “So, this is a start of hopefully a long-lasting partnership in helping promote Philippine tourism.”
BINI recently achieved a historic milestone as the first all-Filipino group to perform at the Coachella music festival. The Senate and the House of Representatives have also recognized the group for their global achievements.
The members shared their favorite local destinations during the meeting. Aiah, Maloi, and Colet chose Batanes. Sheena selected Palawan, while Gwen picked Bukidnon. Mikha chose Romblon, Jhoana chose Siargao, and Stacey selected Boracay.
The DOT expects this partnership to strengthen domestic tourism and inspire more Filipinos to explore the archipelago.
