A total of 80 lucky Watsons members and
their friends were treated to an all-expenses paid holiday in exploring the
beautiful islands in the Philippines for 3 nights/4 days as a result of the
grand finale of the Watsons Brand’s Switch.Save.Win contest, held in
conjunction with the Switch and Save with Watsons Brand campaign. Three hundred
selected Watsons members who participated in the contest campaign competed
against each other in 3 rounds of games at an event held at Paradigm mall,
along with Watsons celebrity friends Arja Lee, Sasha Saidin,Thanuja Ananthan
and Amber Chia who joined the winners to Philippines trip. This contest was
supported by The Philippine Department of Tourism and Cebu Pacific.
The contest which began from 25 January to 2 April 2018, attracted
70,000 entries. To enter the contest, a Watsons member simply needed to spend
RM30 on Watsons brand products (in a single receipt) to be eligible for one
entry or spend RM30 in at least one (1) of the participating brands (Arome by
Watsons, Collagen by Watsons, Hair System by Watsons, Naturals by Watsons,
Water360 by Watsons and Target Pro by Watsons) and a Watsons brand product (in
a single receipt) to be eligible for two entries. Purchases were made in any
Watsons store or via the Watsons online.
“The Switch and Save with Watsons Brand campaign launched in 2016,
encourages Watsons members to switch to great quality with better savings by
purchasing Watsons Brand products. An extensive research and development
programme and stringent quality process goes into each Watsons Brand item to
create products that are safe and effective in meeting Watsons customers’
needs. From personal care items, beauty essentials, and healthcare – Asia’s
leading health and beauty retailer provides our customers the choice to save as
much without compromising on quality. In each Switch and Save campaign contest,
we try to offer different attractive reasons and value to our customers for
their loyalty towards the brand,” said Danny Hoh, Customer Director of Watsons
Malaysia.
“On behalf of Philippine Department of Tourism, it was our pleasure to
host the group for the FUN Trip to the Philippines! In return of the marketing
campaign in 470 stores of Watsons in Malaysia, it has generated a huge
awareness of Philippine destinations. I believe marketing through "WORD of
MOUTH" and Social Media is very important nowadays. The tour itinerary was
tiring but I noticed that all the participants were happy and enjoyed the
experience. I am confident to say that, most of them already fell in love with
Philippines and the Hospitalities of the Filipino”. It’s more fun in the
Philippines. Said Dato’ Melissa Ong, Marketing Director, Philippine Department
of Tourism, Malaysia.
During the trip, the winners together with Watsons celebrity friends,
Arja Lee, Sasha Saidin, Thanuja Ananthan and Amber Chia were treated to a
welcome dinner, sponsored by Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Cebu, where attendees were
treated to a traditional Filipino cultural dance and awards were given to the
best dressed male and female where they paraded in a catwalk. The group had
also visited one of the largest Watsons stores in the Philippines located at
the SM Seaside Mall for a shopping tour on travel essentials.
Cebu is a
province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas (Region VII) region,
and consisting of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. Its
capital is Cebu City, the oldest city and first capital of the Philippines,
which is politically independent from the provincial government. Other trip highlights
included visits to the Alegre Guitar Factory, (where Cebu is known to be home
to the best guitar craftsmen in the Philippines). In Bohol, the winners were
treated to a luncheon onboard a small bancas or floating restaurant in the
Loboc River Cruise. Loboc town is located approximately 24 kilometers from
Tagbilaran City.
“Cebu has so much to offer as a destination itself and truly rich in
cultural experiences”, said Amber Chia, Watsons Celebrity friend.
Not to be missed was Bohol's most famous tourist attraction, the
Chocolate Hills. Looking like giant mole hills, the chocolate hills consist of
are no less than 1268 hills (some claim this to be the exact number). They are
covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown.
They are in the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations in
the Philippines; they have been declared the country's third National
Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage
List. Another wonder of nature was the Kawasan Falls, an adrenaline pumping
adventure where winners got to canyon down creeks and streams. Kawasan Falls is
a three-tiered cascade of crystal clear waterfalls. It is the highlight of
Barangay Matutinao located in the municipal of Badian. The waterfalls makes up
the Matutinao River System, also awarded many times as the cleanest inland body
of water in the country. The water coming from the falls is clean and crystal
clear.
“The Chocolate Hills was something that I had heard and saw of in the
internet before I actually saw the actual formations of this wonder of nature
and how amazing it is still retained until today as a tourist landmark
attraction,” said Thanuja Ananthan, Watsons celebrity friend.
Another highlight of the trip was a visit to Oslob, a province of Cebu.
The winners also had the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the
Bohol Tarsier and encountered the whaleshark in Oslob. The whale shark
(Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the world; with its vast size it
resembles the whales from which its common name is derived. The head is
flattened and the wide mouth, positioned at the tip of the snout, stretches
almost as wide as the body. The dorsal fin is particularly large and the tail
has a half- moon shape.
“Swimming with the whalesharks in Oslob was truly a memorable experience
that will be a highlight of my trip”, said Arja Lee, Watsons celebrity friend.
Other notable highlights during the city tour of Cebu included
Magellan's Cross, a Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers
as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on
(depending on source) 15 March 1521. This cross is housed in a chapel next to
the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on Magallanes Street just in front of the
city center of Cebu City. The oldest Roman Catholic church in the country, it
is built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú was found during
the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi. The icon, a statuette of the Child
Jesus, is the same one presented by Ferdinand Magellan to the chief consort of
Rajah Humabon upon the royal couple's christening on April 14, 1521. Another sight
seeing spot was Fuerte de San Pedro, a military defense structure in Cebu
(Philippines), built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de
Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is
located in the area now called Plaza Indepedencia, in the pier area of the
city.
“There was so much rich history that we had experienced during the Cebu
city tour and it had opened my eyes to how authentic is the Filipino culture,”
said Sasha Saidin, Watsons celebrity friend.
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