Visit  PHL Again 2016 Campaign Takes Center Stage at London Waterloo Station

More English tourists have expressed interest to visit the Philippines after a recent interactive campaign at the London Waterloo Station by the Department of Tourism (DOT)

Through the DOT’s Station Domination Project, advertisements on tourist destinations in Bohol, Cebu, Palawan and Banawe were shown on 10 wide high definition screens installed at key points in the Waterloo Station.

Visit the Philippines Again 2016 advertisements printed on giant tarpaulin posters and banners were also displayed prominently at the passenger and ticketing waiting areas including the pathways and train boarding platforms.

There were also floor media, large banners and showcase offers from Secret Escapes, Hayes and Jarvis, Explore, Dive Worldwide, Netflights and Philippine Airlines.

A special immersion zone at the station installed from April 24 to May 23 meanwhile gave commuters a taste and feel of the Philippines’ best sites and its promise of a “more fun” experience.

Commuters received instant prizes and had the chance to win a holiday to the Philippines in three fun ways, the first involved taking “foot selfies” using floor stickers mapped around the station concourse, the second option is to take part in the 3D selfie stand, and finally experience the Philippine islands in the virtual reality pods with 360 images.

Some 8.4 million commuters of London Waterloo Station were said to have seen the month-long Station Domination while over a million Facebook users have shared and reacted to shares on social-media.

"It's interesting, it's different. This kind of campaign makes people stop and look," one tourist interviewed in a video produced by the DOT said, describing the DOT campaign in London.

Another said that he "didn't really know much about the Philippines” but after seeing some cool things, he said that “Philippines might be an option” for his next out-of-the-country trip.

“Seeing the pictures of the other islands that I didn't get to go to make me want to go back so badly. Activities like this that they're fun and immersive definitely generates interest,” a tourist who has been to the Philippines before said.

According to DOT, the next Station Domination Project will be at King Cross Station.

Tourism Attaché and Director for Northern and Southern Europe Gerard Panga, in a statement, said that tourist arrivals to the Philippines for 2016 already reached record numbers this year, growing by over 20 percent in February alone.

“With such a vast variety of cultural and musical events, adventure and beach holidays and the Philippines being home to the most beautiful island in the world – Palawan – we are sure that there are many reasons to keep coming back to the Philippines,” Panga said.

”The whole thing is branded as Philippines so that in itself gives them an island feeling. Now it's very cold so they want to have this feel of 'island',” he added. (PNA) Azer N. Parrocha