An action research on increasing awareness on the tourism brand of Taal, as the heritage town of the South

• Main Author: Biscocho, Bamielga Roselle R.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2016
• Subjects: Tourism > Management > Philippines > Taal; Culture and tourism; Historic sites
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/5428
• Institution: De La Salle University

This action research is about increasing awareness on the tourism brand of Taal as a heritage destination in the South. The methodology used for this research is the action research cycle with a combination of frameworks - Lewin's Change Management Model change management framework and Destination Branding. The identified issue was low destination brand awareness since we found out that many are unaware that Taal is an actual town, which is different from the Taal Lake or the Taal Volcano based on our observations, personal experiences and feedback from visiting tourists. A strong destination brand plays a significant role in heritage tourism by increasing awareness of a place as a tourist destination and by bringing the destination alive. To address the issue, the implemented change intervention was Destination Branding, which is a great approach to communicate Taals unique identity by showcasing distinctive sites of the town and improve its campaign strategy that would push the brand and increase the number of visiting tourists while helping the town capitalize more on its rich history and culture, including architectural structures and heritage sites. Festival is a great way of showcasing and promoting the towns attractions which can contribute in building a destination brand, and just like other towns, Taal has also its own called EL PASUBAT Festival where the community goes all out in honoring their culture and independence. In this year, activities promoting the town's attractions and the local food were offered in the festival to enhance its impact for destination branding and contribute in the positive image of Taal; wherein we found out that visitors were surprised that there is really a town called Taal, which aside from Vigan, has also its own collection of old houses. The festival was able to showcase everything that Taal has to offer while the attendees of the event had bring in new visitors and created a new market which will help in promoting the tourism brand of Taal through positive word-of-mouth advertising and repeat visitation, hence increasing awareness. Most of them agreed that the best part of the trip was discovering and learning Taals rich culture and heritage. For the second cycle, the intervention is offering Guided Tour Services. In visiting historic destinations like Taal, a knowledgeable tour guide can offer in depth information by sharing stories that a tourist may never see in print. Instead of just arriving by car, do some free sight-seeing and then leave, through guided tour services, visitors were given the opportunity of taking a guided tour in visiting museums, buying souvenirs, and even stay in local accommodations. According to the visitors, they were able to understand and appreciate the significance of the sites, memorials and other places through the stories and historic context of events associated with each sites provided with them, making the tour truly memorable and fun. I also learned different approach in research such as using reflection journals with ORJI Model and LOI wherein I was able to analyze and understand information involved in a situation for me to make right judgements before taking action while considering the inputs of my collaborators.