The City government of Manila announced on Friday, Sept. 25, that it launched a new tourism campaign at Foro de Intramuros, which celebrated the city’s historic sites and its modern facade.
The opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting for the “My Manila Tourism Expo 2026” were held by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno,” Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, Intramuros Administration Administrator Joan M. Padilla, and Department of Tourism, Culture, and Arts of Manila (DTCAM) Director Cristal L. Bagatsing.
Intramuros is a key part of Manila’s history, as Manila’s first tourism expo features the old and the new side by side in the city’s modern buildings, Domagoso said.
“We have contemporary buildings, but we also have beautiful buildings that have been weathered by time,” he said.
He also shared various anecdotes about Manila with the help of local personalities like Rajah Sulayman, Andres Bonifacio, Asiong Salonga and Victor Lopez Jr.
There are many stories about Manila. Sa bawat sulok nito, may kwento. May kasaysayan at nakaraan (There is a story in every corner) always exists at every eskinita at boulevard. History and the past exist in each alley and each boulevard (the mayor said),
The tourism program aims to change the image of Manila, said Bagatsing, who is also responsible for the organisation.
“We want to make Manila a city people have to visit, not a city they want to visit,” she went on.
The campaign’s tagline – “There isn’t just one Manila. There’s your Manila, My Manila” – highlights the city’s history, food, arts, business, faith, and nightlife.
The mayor said in an ambush interview after the event that the expo will likely create more opportunities for the Manileños for jobs related to tourism.
“For every tourist, I don’t know the exact numbers, but for every tourist, there’s at least one or two jobs generated. The more people, both locals and foreigners, visit Manila, the more jobs there will be for the people here,” Domagoso said.
The number of businesses registered in the city also rose by double digits in the last year, he added, despite the economic challenges.
The mayor added that despite the overall economic condition, the city of Manila had more than double-digit growth in the number of businesses registered in this city over the past year, “with mortality rates being kept to a minimum.”
The campaign, inspired by the National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin’s “Manila, My Manila,” is meant for the promotion of the city for Manileños and visitors, Domagoso said.
This is Manila, our Manila, it’s everyone’s Manila, it’s the Filipino’s Manila because after all, where Manila goes, the country goes,
Through 11 themes – My Heritage, My Flavour, My Creativity, My Night, My Journey, My Family, My Passion, My Business, My Health, My Future and My Adventure – the expo introduces Manila’s various attractions to the visitors who would be attending the event.
It also includes daily Barangay Tourism Seminars in various districts, a Mini Concert and a gala show in each Barangay, screening of films organised by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), a mini concert by the Manila City Band, and the MIDAS Awards.
The expo is free and open to the public each day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Sept. 27.
It has registered over 12,000 participants and will be followed by an awards ceremony and closing ceremony on Sept. 27.
