MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine pavilion at the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea recently bagged the Best Exhibit award given by Exhibitor magazine.
The Expo opened last May with the theme “The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities.” The country’s pavilion, designed by the young creatives of U26 Design Studio, focused on the country’s diverse marine destinations and its commitment to conservation initiatives.
“The direction given by DOT (Department of Tourism) was to create a pavilion that would highlight the Philippines as the center of the world’s marine biodiversity and that we are an exciting destination for eco-friendly adventures,” said lead designer Stephanie Sy.
“DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in particular that he wanted us to portray a modern Philippines to reshape and update the traditional perception of the country. We took inspiration from the butanding which is the most successful eco-tourism story in the Philippines,” she added.
The main entrance to the Philippine pavilion features a dramatic representation of the butanding’s silvery spots, while inside the exhibit hall is a multi-sensory experience highlighting the country’s marine ecosystems.
From May 12-July 15, visitor arrivals to the Philippine pavilion reached 375, 355, or more than 10 percent of the 3,671,641 total number of visitors to the Yeosu Expo during the period.
“Our target is at least 10 percent of the total visitor traffic of the Expo site so we are above target for the first three months of exposition,” said Tourism Assistant Secretary and TPB OIC Domingo Ramon Enerio III in a phone interview with Manila Bulletin.
“We hope to convert as much as 10 percent (or roughly 40,000 warm bodies) of Philippine pavilion visitors to actual arrivals to the country,” he said.
Enerio said thousands of Koreans have taken Philippine brochures and logged on to the DOT website and he is confident that the pavilion will reach its 800,000 visitor target by the time the expo closes in August.
“Our daily arrival statistics during peak days in the Philippine pavilion can go up to 13,000; while we get an average 4,000 visitors during lean days,” Jeannie Sudario, Tourism Promotions Board staff and market specialist.
In line with the expo’s theme ‘The Living Ocean and Coast’, the Philippines pavilion is themed ‘The Philippines: Islands of Diversity, Seas of Connectivity’. The theme highlights the wealth of Philippine seas that serves as the source of the country’s connectivity to the world.
The façade of the pavilion is a three-dimensional interpretation of the coral, the foundation of marine life. From a distance, the wall mimics the skin of the butanding or the whale shark; while a LED monitor features Bok (Filipino slang for friend), the mascot rendition of the Philippine giant clam ‘taklobo’.
Inside the pavilion, a visual presentation on the Philippine’s diverse island groups: Luzon, Visaya, Mindanao and the country’s conservation efforts are shown. The ornate pods suspended from the ceiling give out aquatic colors to the floor that act as glowing corals. Videos of the Philippines diverse islands are projected as ambient music of different instruments are heard.
The pods are symbolic of Filipino-Korean friendship, highlighted by the Filipino wrought iron frame with Korean paper. Also found in the pavilion is the weConnect Video Wall where testimonial videos of Koreans and other nationals saying their reasons why ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’.
On the other hand, the Fisherman’s Basket gift shop is a spherical enclosure where customers can find products produced by marginalized coastal communities from the country’s various regions.
Source: ABS-CBN/APINOYINKOREA/Manila Bulletin
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