If we have to promote the country as a tourism destination, can we at least be original?

Or at the very least, witty?

Last year it was “Pilipinas Kay Ganda!” and how it bombed.

It not only sounded so gayish; the text was practically copied from the Polish tourisn promotional.

Now, it’s the New Year, and one would expect something, well,  new.

But before the smog of New Year’s eve reverlry could completely clear, the Department of  Tourism pulled out this one from its old bag of tricks: “It’s more fun in the Philippines”.

At least it’s Engish this time.

Funny, but Switzerland beat us by more than 60 years to the draw of this tourism slogan.

In the early 1960s, The King, Elvis Presley, also recorded Fun in Acapulco, also the title and theme song of a movie with a very young and sexy Ursula Andress. 

Or closer to this decade, maybe the guy who came up with the line was singing Cyndi Lauper’s 1980s monster hit Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.        

Call it serial embarrassment. But how many times do our message makers have to go back to the drawing board to come up with something anywhere near Amazing Thailand or Malaysia, Truly Asia?

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said his messaging team did not consider following the strategy of other countries by using a simple word such as “amazing,” “incredible” or “truly” as “the era of one-word adjective has ended… these are campaigns that will not necessarily serve our purposes.”

Can you believe the guy? It’s clarity and brevity, stupid!

We were actually doing fine with WOW Philippines! until some idiots decided to dump the slogan because it did not sound pleasant to some Yakuza characters.  

Jimenez unabashedly  said the six-word slogan was in response to the country’s need for a simple line that was “easily understood, competitive and differentiated” and one that would help the Philippines get a larger share of the tourism market.

But the most important feature of the brand-new slogan was “its truthfulness,” said the former advertising executive.

The new slogan not only invites visitors to see what’s in the Philippines but to join in the fun “and it’s the Filipinos that will make the difference,” the DoT chief claimed.

The new campaign also tells the world that the country is not a mere island vacation known for its pristine and white beaches or a site full of historical relics and Spanish-era churches.

Oh yeah? So why not this: “Philippines: It’s all here!”?