Balikbayans arriving at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Pampanga, will experience their warmest welcome yet with the opening of the Pinoy Homecoming Hospitality Center at the airport on November 29.
Spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the homecoming center is part of the government's ongoing efforts to boost visitor arrivals from the balikbayan market by 25 percent in the next five years. Dubbed as the Pinoy Homecoming campaign, it primarily targets Filipinos based overseas, not only in the United States and Canada but worldwide.
A result of Presidential Proclamation No. 181 “Declaring the Years 2011 to 2016 as the Pinoy Homecoming Years” signed on June 3, 2011, the campaign supports Republic Act No. 6768, as amended, or the “Balikbayan Program.” Under the Balikbayan Program, overseas Filipinos (OFs) are given special privileges and benefits in recognition of their contribution to the growth of the Philippine economy in terms of foreign exchange inflow and remittances.
“This is a campaign that recognizes three things: the invaluable contributions of Filipinos overseas, our urgent need to develop and promote Philippine tourism further and how much can be achieved when government agencies work together,” shares DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez. “We also have to tap into the market of second and third generation Filipinos abroad and encourage them to discover their roots.”
To reach this set of younger Filipinos abroad, the campaign also has a digital marketing component. Through the website www.pinoyhomecoming.ph, Pinoys abroad can easily access Philippine news portals, tourism products and services, practical balikbayan tips, Philippine holiday and festival calendars, as well as a directory of industry partners and the contact details of DOT’s international offices.
The campaign is supported by Globe Telecom, Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC)and the over 700 partner-merchants nationwide. For more information on the campaign and balikbayan benefits, contact the Pinoy Homecoming Secretariat at 632 525-1255, 632 525-9318 local 268 or 244; fax to (632) 521-6165, or e-mail at tts@dotpcvc.gov.ph.
