Philippines investigating tourism advert that used images from other countries

Brazil, Indonesia, Switzerland and the UAE were among those featured in the $900,000 video

Philippine tourism officials are looking into claims advertising agency DDB Philippines included 'non-original shots'. Photo: Philippines Department of Tourism

Philippine tourism officials are investigating an advertising agency after the creators of a video promoting the nation as a holiday destination said it had used stock shots from other countries.

Advertising agency DDB Philippines apologised for the "highly inappropriate" images, which included rice terraces in Indonesia and sand dunes in Brazil.

The agency was behind the video for the government's Love The Philippines tourism campaign, launched on June 27.

The tourism ministry announced on Saturday that it was investigating allegations that DDB's video included "non-original shots". The video was later removed from its Facebook page.

Popular Philippine blogger Sass Rogando Sasot posted on Facebook that several images in the campaign video were from other countries.

Analysis confirmed that the video showed places in Brazil, Indonesia, Switzerland and the UAE.

DDB apologised on Sunday for using "foreign stock footage", describing it as an "unfortunate oversight on our agency's part".

"Proper screening and approval processes should have been strictly followed," DDB said.

"The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the Department of Tourism's objectives."

The video was produced at its own expense, DDB said.

The tourism ministry said it had "repeatedly sought confirmation from DDB on the originality and ownership of all materials contained in the AVPs (audio-visual presentations) and key visuals presented to the Department".

"In all these occasions, DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order," the ministry said.

Some of the images used in the promotional video can be found on the websites of stock footage providers.

For example, footage of rice terraces is on Pond5, which identified the location as Ubud on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.

Videvo has the same aerial shot of sand dunes as the one used in the Philippine advertisement but says the location was Cumbuco in north-eastern Brazil.

Other footage shows a fisherman casting a net while wearing a hat not typically worn in the Philippines and a person driving a buggy over sand dunes in the UAE.

A spokeswoman for the tourism ministry did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

Tourism minister Christina Frasco told local media the new branding campaign cost 49 million pesos (nearly $900,000).

Frasco said the ministry conducted a global survey which found that, in the post-pandemic era, tourists wanted "authentic interactions with communities".

The new slogan replaced "It's More Fun in the Philippines".

Tourism is a key industry in the Philippines, which boasts pristine dive spots and white sand beaches, but arrivals lag those of its neighbours due to poor infrastructure and high costs.

There were 2.7 million inbound tourists to the Philippines last year, down 68 per cent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to the UN's World Tourism Organisation data.