‘Save Our Spots’ on social media to push sustainable tourism

The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently released different “Save Our Spots” GIFs (graphic interchange format) on social media platform Instagram to encourage tourists to practice sustainable and responsible tourism.

“The newly released artworks include the #SaveOurSpots frame, daily Filipino conversation lines, responsible tourist badge and many more to encourage mindful traveling around the Philippines,” the DOT said in a statement.

Instagram users can also use geolocation tagging when they post about their visit on the different local destinations-such as Anilao in Batangas,

Baguio City, Bohol, Boracay Island, Coron in Palawan, Donsol in Sorsogon, La Union, Luneta or Rizal Park, Panglao Island, Puerto Galera, Sagada in Mountain Province, Siargao, and Vigan in Ilocos Sur.

In order to use the GIFs, the users should click on the GIF button on Instagram Stories and type in “sustainable tourism,” then choose the appropriate GIFs for the post.

“The DOT takes advantage of the one billion active Instagram users worldwide, where over 10 million Filipinos share a part of, for this campaign to promote domestic tourism internationally,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

“The DOT urges every Filipino tourist to use the GIFs to help raise awareness on sustainable local tourism, because collectively, it can go a long way,” she added.

To note, the Save Our Spots campaign was launched last year by the DOT which was aimed at inspiring tourists, businesses, as well as local communities to have a long-term view on tourism by protecting the country’s destinations and natural resources.

“We first rolled out this campaign by showing simple yet impactful acts towards environmentalism and patriotism, by respecting cultures and managing wastes. This time around, we are encouraging travelers to promote and preserve our local tourist spots,” said Puyat.