The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) has expressed its intention to collaborate with more well-known global celebrities to boost tourist arrivals from key markets. On February 21, the DOT signed a partnership with South Korean actor Seo In-guk under the Philippine Tourism Ambassador (PTA) program, which aims to enhance the country’s tourism appeal in South Korea by leveraging his influence.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco commented, “We have successfully partnered with Alan Shirahama from Japan, and we are looking at other key source markets for collaboration with globally recognized celebrities.”

The DOT’s strategy focuses on using the popularity of these celebrities to improve travel interest from their respective countries. The agency aims to capitalize on Seo In-guk’s considerable following on social media to attract more South Korean tourists to the Philippines.

The DOT continues to explore other celebrity partnerships, but has not yet revealed the next market it will target for a tourism ambassador.