One of the biggest youth tourism operators has signed a marketing agreement with the Department of Tourism to push the Philippines in Australia and Europe, specifically UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France.

In a press release, STA Travel Group announced it will send four independent filmmakers to travel to the Philippines to make one short film each of the four key elements of the country’s tourism. The elements are volcanoes and national parks, beaches, island hopping, and social tourism.

No specific destinations have been named, but STA Travel CEO John Constable says the company is working with Gawad Kalinga, understandably for the social tourism side.

“At STA Travel we are always focused on discovering new and exciting destinations for our travellers and this year we sent a team of product developers out to the Philippines to find out what it had to offer,” says Constable.

“We have known the potential of the Philippines as a youth tourism destination, especially in the last few years with the improvement in infrastructure and travel between islands,” says Tourism Promotions Board COO Domingo Ramon Enerio III. “The Philippines has numerous value-for-money options that compete with other popular destinations in the region. In addition, we have a number of off-the-beaten-track and non-traditional offerings across the islands that are certainly of interest to this market.”

STA Travel carries more than 2.5 million passengers annually, with over 230 retail branches around the world.