"Pilipinas Kay Ganda" Tourism Slogan Scrapped

[U.S. of America]

The government said Wednesday it had pulled a tourism promotion campaign off the Internet after just one day, after critics panned the rebrand and warned that unwary surfers could easily end up at a porn site instead.

"Bland," "Lacks punch," "Sounds dishonest" were among posts made on popular networking sites about the "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" (Philippines What a Beauty) website launched by the tourism department to much fanfare late Monday.

Critics also panned the decision to use the local spelling of the country's name, warning that a similar site, beautifulfilipinas.com, was pornographic.

Ministry spokeswoman Evelyn Macayayong said the government acknowledged the criticisms and pulled down the website on Tuesday for revisions.

"The write-ups were not thoroughly edited. There were errors, and there are even allegations of plagiarism, that we copied from other websites," Macayayong told AFP.

The aborted tourism campaign was top-billed by a candy-colored logo of the slogan adorned with a coconut tree, an endangered tiny primate called a tarsier, the sun, and waves.

Critics called for the country's eight-year-old tourism slogan, "Wow Philippines," to be retained. - Agence France Presse

[islander]

kana ba.  tudson dayon.  lalim ba uroy ug mao-mao diay ug ngan ug porno website.  mahimo pa hinoon tang sex tour destination topnotcher, maoy gidangat.

[glacier_71]

allegedly, it copied Poland's Tourism logo...

[hubag bohol]

Is this idiocy one more proof of the amateurism that has so far characterized the new administration?

[islander]

baby steps?  we can understand that.  those steps can turn into giant strides if they take time to look outward, away from the comforts of sterilized offices.  what is important is they listen to feedbacks and learn from the man on the street.

[hubag bohol]

baby steps?  we can understand that.  those steps can turn into giant strides if they take time to look outward, away from the comforts of sterilized offices.  what is important is they listen to feedbacks and learn from the man on the street.

Hmm. I'm afraid the learning process will take six long years...

[islander]

if at least each year turns out to be an improvement on the preceding one, maybe we can take heart?

[hubag bohol]

if at least each year turns out to be an improvement on the preceding one, maybe we can take heart?

We can and we must. The strain on the heart is of course another matter altogether...