The DOT's Newest Ad Features Your Favorite Powerpuff Girls

(SPOT.ph) While the Philippines recorded an all-time high of international tourist arrivals in 2019, the industry has taken a huge blow amid the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Local tourist destinations had to close down, hotels and resorts had to shutter, and tour operators had to stop receiving guests since community quarantine was enforced in the country in March. And even with less restrictions, it doesn't look like tourists would go back to backpacking around our islands anytime soon. In an effort to bring back visitors and jumpstart our tourism and economy, the Department of Tourism partnered with Cartoon Network for a new campaign ad featuring The Powerpuff Girls.

The video, which was released on September 12, started with an S.O.S. alert at the Powerpuff Girls' headquarters: "We need your help to come up with a plan so that people can travel safely," goes the call. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup go on to spell out (literally!) an easy-to-follow solution: S.A.F.E.T.R.I.P. The eight-letter phrase stands for:

• Sanitize
• Avoid mass gatherings
• Face masks
• Elecronic payments
• Temperature check
• Rules and regulations
• Information
• Physical distancing

The Department of Tourism in February announced that they're ramping up marketing efforts by targeting countries mostly unaffected by the pandemic like Europe and North America. Aside from Cartoon Network, they're also looking to air ads in other networks like CNN, National Geographic, CNBC, BBC, Discovery, and Nickelodeon.

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