Wanda Tulfo Teo
A TRAVEL agent will helm Philippine tourism beginning next month, a move enthusiastically welcomed by those in the trade.
Replacing tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., whose five-year tenure is hallmarked by the successful It’s More Fun in the Philippines slogan, is Wanda Tulfo Teo.
She has 22 years of experience as owner and president of Mt Apo Travel and Tours as well as being the president of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) Philippines since 2015.
Teo is currently based in Davao City, alongside Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who personally appointed her.
The trade is positive that someone recruited from the agency ranks will bode well for tourism instead of having an outsider, such as a politician, to be appointed to the plum post.
“She’s not a politician. My main worry was that the president might appoint a politician,” said Arnie Bayag, consultant at Travelexperts.
Bayag said Teo’s edge is that she knows the industry and what it needs and having come from Davao, she is expected to tackle order and infrastructure issues that are crucial to tourism.
“Secretary Jimenez sells the Philippines very successfully. Teo should maintain the marketing initiatives that Jimenez had and build on it, though not necessarily the same marketing slogan” added Bayag.
The Discovery Leisure Company’s corporate director of sales and marketing Odette Huang is hopeful that Teo, “as an experienced member of the travel industry”, “will provide continuity in enlivening the image of the Philippines”.
“The resonance of the It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign is one of the hallmarks of secretary Jimenez. It created a positive buzz associated with the promise that Filipinos can deliver from the heart,” said Huang.
Eugene Tamesis, director of sales and marketing, Raffles and Fairmont Makati, while concurring that Jimenez did wonders for tourism, is hopeful that Teo’s appointment will be a “change for the better.”
Another travel agent, who requested anonymity, said Teo seems capable and her appointment should be fine so long as she gives up her interests in Mt Apo Travel and Tours to avoid a “conflict of interest”.
Sources indicate that Teo is planning just that and NAITAS will be meeting this month to discuss her replacement.
