MALACANANG is elated by a report ranking the Philippines among the top 100 happiest nations in the world, which could boost the country’s tourism campaign.
The Philippines placed 90th among 158 nations ranked by the 2015 World Happiness Report. The report was unveiled in New York last Thursday.
“Ikinararangal po natin na kaligayahan ang magiging karanasan ng mga dadalaw sa atin,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said in a radio interview on Saturday.
“Kaya ang pag-validate po na isa sa pinakamasayang tao ay patunay po sa ating marketing campaign that ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ at iyan po ay pagyayamanin natin,” he told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
The government’s campaign to attract tourists not only focuses on international advertisement but also through the upgrades of major infrastructure and facilities to entice more tourists, Coloma said.
Switzerland is the happiest country in the world followed closely by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada.
The 2015 World Happiness Report is the third annual report seeking to quantify happiness as a means of influencing government policy. The United Nations published the first study in 2012.
Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia round out the top 10, making small or medium-sized countries in Western Europe seven of the top 10 happiest countries.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore is the happies at 24th place, followed by Thailand and Taiwan at 34th and 38th spots, respectively. China is at 84th. (PND)