Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. was appointed as Secretary of Tourism by President Benigno S. Aquino III in September 2011. Prior to this appointment, he spent 35 years in the field of advertising, starting his career with Ace Compton Advertising to Ace-Saatchi and Saatchi Advertising, Jimenez Basic Advertising, and finally WOO Consultants. His work in advertising has been closely associated with the steady and tremendous success of many home-grown Philippine brands.
Secretary Jimenez was the man behind the country’s tourism campaign, "It’s More Fun in the Philippines." With his marketing communications experience, Secretary Jimenez was able to build enough energy around tourism to give the Philippines a positive image. Under his leadership, the DOT has actively espoused policy reforms and embarked on convergence projects, which has led to a greater confidence from both the international and business communities. The Philippinesʼ rank in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum jumped 20 spots from 94th in 2011 to 74th in 2015, as a result mainly of strong government prioritization of the travel and tourism industry, price competitiveness, and international openness. The DOT has also maintained its hold as part of the Top 3 best performing government agencies receiving positive net satisfaction scores from senior business executives of the influential Makati Business Club, since he assumed office in 2011.
In pursuit of inclusiveness, the DOT implemented key strategic directives outlined in the country’s National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2011-2016, resulting in major reforms in the tourism industry during his term. Tourism has become a national business ranking 5th as the biggest contributor to the Philippine economy and with inbound tourism ranking 3rd among the country’s biggest exports.
Secretary Jimenez was able to transform the Department into a primary selling unit whose ultimate goal is not only to improve statistics, but also ensure that every tourism success would include and benefit as many Filipinos as possible.
