Photo from Facebook/@SB19Official
MANILA — The Department of Tourism has named SB19 as Philippine tourism ambassadors, bringing the five-member P-pop group into a campaign to promote the country’s destinations and culture abroad.
The department announced the appointment on July 26, saying SB19 would encourage its global fan community, known as A’TIN, and other travelers to visit the Philippines and experience its food, heritage and destinations.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the group’s following gives it access to audiences in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. She said the department had observed Filipino Americans and other supporters traveling to the Philippines for SB19 performances, although the agency released no data measuring the effect on visitor arrivals.
“That’s the kind of reach we want to build on,” Angara-Mathay said.
SB19 member Josh Cullen said the group had long wanted to support a project promoting the country and connecting overseas Filipinos with home.
The campaign was introduced with a “Galingbayan” package inspired by the balikbayan box, the container used by overseas Filipinos to send goods to relatives. It served as a send-off before the group’s appearances in the United States and Japan.
The appointment came ahead of SB19’s July 30 performance at Lollapalooza Chicago. The Grammy Museum described the group as the first homegrown Filipino act booked for the festival. SB19 also appeared at the museum’s Global Spin Live program in Los Angeles on July 28.
The group is scheduled to perform at Summer Sonic in Osaka on Aug. 14 and Tokyo on Aug. 15.
SB19 is composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken and Justin. The group debuted in 2018 and is self-managed through 1Z Entertainment. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts named SB19 its Youth and Sentro Rizal Ambassador in 2022.
SB19 joins BINI, which the Tourism Department introduced as a tourism ambassador on July 3. The appointments show the agency’s growing use of Filipino artists in campaigns targeting younger and international audiences.
The partnership does not establish that SB19’s popularity will increase visitor arrivals. Its immediate value is promotional, giving the department access to a global fan base and international performance platforms.
