(SANTIAGO, 25 March 2021) As part of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Fiesta Filipinas Project and the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of PHL and CHL Relations this year, the Philippine Embassy in Santiago organized a cultural and tourism event for Chilean and foreign vloggers and journalists at the PHL Chancery in Las Condes on 25 March 2021.
Ambassador Ma. Teresita C. Daza welcomed the Chilean and foreign attendees by introducing a video showcasing Santiago PE’s past and ongoing cultural and tourism initiatives, as well as highlighting its close partnership with the Filipino community and the Escuela Republica de las Filipinas in Lo Espejo. She outlined the theme and objectives of the day’s activity, especially its goal of bringing Filipino culture and the country’s best touristic destinations closer to Chilean audiences by engaging with influencers who have featured or who plan to feature the Philippines as soon as global travel restrictions allow. Consul Dennis Briones also introduced a series of DOT promotional videos/commercials centered on the Wake up in the Philippines ad campaign, which target to boost and ensure the quick rebound of PHL tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economic Assistant Josefina Abenoja presented a video of the Embassy’s ladies unboxing Fiesta Filipinas kits individually themed with the country’s best sites and sounds, such as those found during the Giant Lantern Festival (December), the Sinulog, Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang Festivals (January), the Panagbenga Festival (February), and the Visita Iglesia (March). Actual kits were given out for the vloggers to unbox and create thematic Filipino decors, including a Christmas lantern from the Giant Lantern Festival kit, a colorful headdress from the Sinulog/Ati-Atihan/Dinagyang kit, and a dried-flower arrangement from the Panagbenga kit. The Embassy also distributed several more kits to influencers who were unable to visit the Chancery on the day of the event due to localized COVID-19 travel restrictions.
To complete the full Philippine experience, the Embassy treated its guests with a colorful array of top Filipino dishes and best-known beverages and desserts, including beef kaldereta, pansit, shrimp with broccoli, lumpiang shanghai, pineapple and buko juice with jelly, and cassava cake—all prepared by Cultural Officer Jeffry Aranda.
The Embassy also facilitated access to an Oculus Go (virtual reality glasses) pre-installed with DOT’s 360º high-res tourism videos of the Tubattaha Reef, Coron and Puerto Galera.
The Embassy’s Fiesta Filipinas Project and Vloggers/Journalists Meet targeted to have each influencer feature these cultural and tourism activities, the Fiesta Filipinas kits, the food and beverages, and their overall experiences on their respective vlogs, blogs, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube channels and accounts—estimated to reach a combined viewership and followers in the tens of thousands. The Instagram accounts of participating influencers may be viewed through the following links: @nomad.fran, @lafamiliaviajer, @angelrojase, @voyonovoy, @dai.carherrera, @viajoslaymeencanta and @viajandolento.
