Teo to Filipino-American millennials: Trace your roots

The tourism secretary hopes young Filipino-Americans who are in the workforce would visit the country of their parents and grandparents.

MANILA, Philippines — Tourism Secretary Corazon Wanda Tulfo Teo called on young Filipino-Americans to visit the Philippines and rediscover their roots.
Teo was particularly inviting children of Filipino immigrants who were born and raised by their parents in America all their lives.

"Go back to your roots, learn the traits of the Filipinos. Change has come to our country, to our people, and you will be proud of yourselves to be Filipinos," Teo was quoted as saying at a media briefing at Philippine Department of Tourism in San Francisco last Friday. "Change is coming," was among the campaign mottos of the Duterte administration.

Aside from Filipino-Americans, Teo also hopes that Filipino millennials around the world to travel to the place of their ancestry. She mistakenly described these working "millennials" as in their 30s and 40s.

Studies vary in the range of millennials' birth years. Generally, however, millennials, who are the subject of marketing campaigns around the world, are ackowledged to have been born between 1980 and 1994. Others include those who are born up to the year 2000.
Currently, millennials aged 20 to 35, according to The Guardian.

The DOT chief said the agency will provide balikbayan travel packages for Filipino-American millennials, and throw in special rates in airfares, accommodations, ground handling and tours.
"We will offer them little known tourist destinations and sites, which are now among our priority growth areas for tourism development. We will twin them with other preferred Asian destinations like Philippines-Singapore, Philippines-Bangkok, Philippines-Hong Kong, and Philippines-Kuala Lumpur, just to mention a few," Teo said.

Teo also enticed Filipino expats and foreign visitors that a new Philippines awaits them. "Where there is now a more level playing field for growth and development despite the country's fair share of challenges," she said, citing the Resorts World Manila attack and Marawi crisis as among these challenges.

"One year since I assumed the post as Tourism Secretary, I am pleased to note that the Philppine tourism industry has continued to deliver in terms of numbers, investments, and global exposure. That despite obstacles and roadblocks along the way," Teo added, attributing the success to various international hostings.

Under the Duterte adminitration, the Philippines played host to Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders in May, and to international pageant Miss Universe in January. The latter was among Teo's projects.