Nature, Culture put RP on National Geographic ‘must’ list

By Kristine L. AlavePhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 11/15/2009

MANILA, Philippines--After National Geographic magazine included the Philippines in its list of “25 Best New Travel Destinations in the World in 2010,” it appeared the country had finally overcome the “bad PR” that had caused tourists to shun it and head for its perhaps less dazzling neighbors.

Travel executives began putting out the word the country is one of the most exciting and undiscovered places that tourists should begin exploring now.The list, published in National Geographic’s November 2009 Adventure issue, is directed at “travelers who want their money to do more—for others, for the planet and for themselves.”It cited the Philippines’ ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity as key reasons for visiting the country.

Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. said the Department of Tourism was thrilled that the Philippines was getting the attention of travelers.“We’re very pleased. It’s also very nice to be part of a list that people want to see,” he said. He noted that it was the first time that the country was included in a list of must-see destinations by National Geographic.

Bad rap
The magazine said the Philippines had largely been ignored because of “bad PR.”“While it harbors as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet, the nation sees only a fraction of the visitors of nearby Thailand,” the magazine said.“Even travel companies, it seems, have bought the bad rap: Other than the occasional sea kayaking trip, US guides have largely avoided the archipelago,” the article said.But travel organizations have “finally gotten wise,” the magazine said.The Philippines’ image is indeed changing, travel professionals agree.

Pat Alberto, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, said the country saw an increase in tourist arrivals in the past two years, and sees this as proof that the Philippines is coming out of the shadow of Thailand and Malaysia, two of Southeast Asia’s more popular destinations.

Adventure mecca
She noted that the Philippines has become a magnet for adventure travelers because of its unspoiled beaches, mountains, rivers and dive sites.Jarque said the Philippines has become a mecca for travelers looking for off-the-beaten track adventure.

These are the travelers who eschew luxury hotels in favor of home stays, who would rather spend a day in the outdoors than in a mall, he said.National Geographic cited Wilderness Travel, an adventure and ecotourism company, as one of the travel organizations that has gotten past the country’s image.It said Wilderness Travel will be organizing a tour to the Philippines next May that will showcase the country’s terrain and aquatic wonders to its American clients.It described the trip as taking participants “high into the 5,000-foot Cordillera Central, then deep into the world’s most biodiverse marine environment.” The 12-day trip to the Philippines costs $3,300.

The trip will begin in Banaue in the Cordilleras, described by the magazine as a must-see destination for those who want a serious hiking adventure.The tour will then move to Cabilao island off Bohol for diving on some of the reefs that form part of the Coral Triangle, the world’s greatest concentration of diverse and valuable coral reef ecosystems. The Philippines sits right in the middle of this center of marine biodiversity.President Macapagal-Arroyo spoke at the National Geographic Society’s headquarters in Washington, DC in August and appealed for international support for preserving, promoting and protecting biodiversity in the Coral Triangle.

The NGS is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history.

CamSur top gainer
The DOT, which has been promoting the country’s natural and cultural wonders as the ultimate travel destination, has noted that tourists have been seeing more of the provinces.The province of Camarines Sur, known for its beaches and surfing sites, was the top tourism gainer this year. The province received 902,000 local and foreign visitors during the first semester, the DOT said.

Other popular provincial destinations were Cebu, Bohol, Aklan and Zambales.Jarque said travelers appear not to mind the stories of calamities, disasters, bombings and kidnappings that have put the Philippines in the headlines, seeing these events as part of life in the 21st century, post 9/11.

They know that these tragedies could happen anywhere, even in First World countries, he said.“In our travel fair recently, nobody asked us about terrorism and security,” Jarque said.Adventure travelers take negative news with a grain of salt, he noted.Jarque and Alberto both said that the tourism sector has bucked the global recession and the threat of swine flu that wreaked havoc on the economies of the Philippines’ neighbors.Tourism arrivals in the first semester have been robust, the DOT said in its first semester report.There were 3.89 million tourists from January to June, a 16.5-percent improvement over the same period last year.Of the total, more than 808,000 were foreign tourists. The figure compared favorably with the 760,000 foreigners who visited the Philippines in the first semester of 2008.

Saved by locals
Tourism officials said what saved the tourism industry this year was the Filipino tourist.Instead of spending their holidays abroad this year, many Filipinos fearful of the swine flu pandemic chose to vacation in their own country.According to the DOT’s first semester figures, the number of domestic tourists jumped 20 percent to nearly 3 million.

“Domestic tourism grew very, very fast this year,” said Alberto.“More and more hotels and resorts are opening so it’s much more affordable and air fares are cheap. It’s a very, very good time to travel right now,” she said.Jarque said local governments have realized that tourism brings jobs and income to their communities.

They realize that it’s better to spend their funds on improving tourism infrastructure and developing tourist attractions than on “basketball courts and waiting sheds,” he said.“Tourism is being taken seriously…there are more and more concerns about airports, about roads,” he said.