NEWS - September 2011
Beauty and Bounty of Bicolandia
Manila Bulletin
Sept. 29, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- There is certainly more to Mayon Volcano and the butanding in the Bicolandia than meets the eye. Find out as the region unveils its best-kept secrets in the grand Gayon Bikol sa OK Bikol Trade and Tourism Fair set at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall from October 6 to 9.
Tourism Czar
Manila Bulletin
By Jacky Lynne A. Oiga
Sept. 25, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- "After my appointment as tourism secretary, everywhere I go people tell me, ‘Mon, there’s nothing there. What are you going to sell?’ And I keep seeing the most beautiful country in the world,” said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.
Promoting PH with a smile
Manila Bulletin
By Jacky Lynne A. Oiga
Sept. 25, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- What the Philippines lacks in international ad campaigns, it makes up with good old Filipino hospitality.
Staying safe outside our homes
Manila Bulletin
By Sol Vanzi
Sept. 25, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Watching TV newscasts this month makes one wonder how secure consumers are inside the malls. Despite the highly visible presence of uniformed private security guards at all entrances and exits, angry lovers successfully smuggled in firearms which they used for bloody crimes of passion and revenge.
DoT gears up for 2012
Manila Bulletin
By Jacky Lynne A. Oiga
Sept. 18, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- As the Philippines nears its 3.7 million target for 2011, gaining over 1.91 million foreign visitors halfway into the year, the Department of Tourism (DoT) and stake holders are already putting their heads together to agree on how best to use the agency’s resources for 2012.
Tourism highlights
Manila Bulletin
By Paul Edward P. Sison
Sept. 18, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- It’s business as usual at the Department of Tourism (DoT), more driven and motivated perhaps – fueled by the enthusiasm and passion of its new secretary – and still delivering, as usual, on the tourism front.
Keep 'em Koreans coming: DoT taps Korean market in Busan
By Jacky Lynne A. Oiga
Sept. 18, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- May it be a bus full of tourists, students studying English, or business-savvy migrants trading their wares, South Koreans are now literally everywhere in the Philippines.
Kadayawan goes bigger and brighter
Manila Bulletin
By Jojie Alcantara
Sept. 18, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Davao’s major festival underwent a positive facelift this year. With the private sector taking up the reins and, backed up by the local government, Duaw Dabaw Foundation Inc. was tasked to make sure this year’s revelry will be remembered as unforgettable again, rain or shine. True enough, no intertropical convergence zone or low pressure area could mar the new stage built for the performances that draw thousands of crowds from all Mindanao each year.
Saving a River, Securing Livelihood
Manila Bulletin
By Ma. Glaiza Lee
Sept. 18, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- "Water is life. From the earliest times in the history of man, rivers served as the backbone for the beginning of civilization,” and so goes the recently launched book “Saving A River, Securing Livelihoods.”
Seduction of sacred spaces in Tanay, Rizal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
By Rizalino Pinlac
Sept. 18, 2011
When I learned of a new pilgrimage site in Tanay, Rizal, I got easily interested not only because a huge statue of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary reportedly is installed there, but more so because I heard it offers a place to rest amid the noise and haste of the metropolis.
Live for Acuatico days
The Philippine Star
By Lester Gopela Hallig
Sept. 16, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Now what could be more exciting than sunny weather at the beach? We certainly welcomed this proposition at Acuatico Beach Resort and found ourselves drifting away from the cares of city life.
Island tempations
Manila Bulletin
By Rowena Bautista-Alcaraz
Sept. 13, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Judging from the traffic in Mactan Cebu, it might as well be called the new Manila. But never mind the inconvenience. Think about what the rest of Cebu has to offer - like destination resorts where one does not need to leave the comfort of the hotel to have a fantastic vacation time. One of them is the Moevenpick Resort and Spa.
Going underground
The Philippine Star
By RJ Ledesma
Sept. 11, 2011
My wife and I headed out to Puerto Princesa, Palawan to spawn.
El Nido ad wins at Cannes
The Philippine Star
Sept. 11, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - The advertisement promoting the tourist spot El Nido in Palawan won a top award in the recent Cannes Lions 58th International Festival of Creativity in France.
True Blu
The Philippine Star
By Lester Gopela Hallig
Sept. 11, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - When Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu opened late last year, its general manager then, Grant Gaskin, promised that the hotel is bound to make a positive, lasting impression on its guests.
DFP unveils newly renovated NAIA store
The Philippine Star
Sept. 11, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Duty Free Philippines (DFP), one of the attached agencies of the Department of Tourism (DOT), inaugurated its newly renovated outlet at the Terminal 2 arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Parañaque City recently.
Conquering Mt. Everest
Manila Bulletin
By Edwin Yaptangco
Sept. 11, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Approaching the fringes of Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley in a van, I saw mountains about the same elevation as Baguio’s. ‘Hey kids, look, mountains,’ I said as I pointed. ‘Excuse me,’ our tour guide quickly reacted, ‘those are not mountains. They are foothills.’ ‘What?! Where I come from those are mountains’ I said. ‘Hahaha!’ (I didn’t like the way he laughed) ‘Welcome to the roof of the world!’ he exclaimed.
It's better Leyte than never
Manila Bulletin
By Ma. Glaiza Lee
Sept. 11, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- "Oh, I’ve been to Nice and the isle of Greece, while I sipped champagne on a yacht…”
… I’ve been to paradise but I’ve never been to… LEYTE!
Borongan holds first lechon festival
The Philippine Star
By Büm D. Tenorio Jr.
Sept. 9, 2011
BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar, Philippines — This sleepy town woke up to a squeaking morning recently to celebrate a lechon (roasted pig) festival. It was the first time the city celebrated the festival.
Airphil Express now files to HK from Cebu
The Philippine Star
Sept. 9, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Passengers were treated to a festive Chinese sendoff when Airphil Express made its first flight to exciting and progressive Hong Kong from Cebu’s Mactan terminal recently.
Glittery DAVAO
Manila Standard Today
By Harold C. Geronimo
Sept. 9, 2011
One weekend in Davao City was filled with exciting discoveries. That was a weekend of gastronomic affair with the opening of the new Café Marco in my favourite Marco Polo Davao, and one night of glitz and glamour from Davao’s social scene at the Mindanao launch of Havaianas’ Black Velvet Party.
Changing colors
Manila Bulletin
By Rowena Bautista-Alcaraz
Sept. 6, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- After six years of being known for its vibrant pink color, the "existential landmark" in Mactan, Cebu will be no more - pink, that is.
Torpedo!
Manila Bulletin
By Ma. Glaiza Lee
Sept. 4, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- It was as if the longest river in Samar had come roaring back to life. Many years of incessant defilement caused by illegal logging damaged the natural ecosystem.
The other side of Mati
Manila Bulletin
By Jims Vincent T. Capuno
Sept. 4, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Mati, even before it became a city, is already famous not only in Davao Oriental but also in other parts of the country for its tourist attractions.
Developing a brand that sells
Manila Bulletin
By Jacky Lynne A. Oiga
Sept. 4, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Newly appointed Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, in his speech in Malacañang last Thursday, said that a picturesque destination like the Philippines should be “easy to sell like Chickenjoy.”
Great excuse to visit Boracay
The Philippine Daily Inquirer
By Anne A. Jambora
Sept. 4, 2011
There’s Boracay during summer when the hotel rates are high and partygoers crowd the beachfront, and there’s Boracay off-season when accommodations are at a bargain and the beach more quiet and private.
75 minutes to paradise
The Philippine Star
By Raya Mananquil
Sept. 4, 2011
Wow, this airplane looks like a sleek and efficient toy! My traveling partner Ben and I joke that we would need to put in a quarter to get it started, though recollections of an even smaller aircraft begin to make me smile.
Miss World Philippines 2011 travels to Puerto Princesa
The Philippine Star
Sept. 4, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Miss World Philippines (MWP) and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan have formed a strategic partnership.
Pampanga to bring back Mt. Arayat’s ‘glory days’
BusinessMirror
By Joey Pavia
Sept. 4, 2011
ARAYAT, Pampanga—The provincial government has allotted 70 hectares of the Mt. Arayat National Park for its agro-tourism project in line with President Aquino’s pro-environment activities.
Zambales’s rainy-day specials
BusinessMirror
By Henry Empeño
Sept. 3, 2011
WHAT inclement weather? Just when your ordinary tourism destination closes shop due to heavy rains and strong winds, Zambales starts to beckon with the extraordinary thrills of adventure and excitement.
US scientist to make second man-made cave for Samal Island’s fruit bats
BusinessMirror
By Manuel T. Cayon
Sept. 3, 2011
DAVAO CITY—A US scientist plans to make a man-made cave for the fast-growing population of fruit bats in the resort Samal Island here, and to “paint” or paste, on its walls, the substances that have kept the bats in their current home in the 300-meter-long Monfort cave in this island off the Davao Gulf.
Laoag's Hanalei: New heights of beauty
The Philippine Star
By Lester Gopela Hallig
Sept. 2, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - There are times when you stumble upon something pleasantly unexpected. That’s what recently happened on a trip to Laoag City.
A dazzling Manila awaits PTM participants in 2012
The Philippine Star
Sept. 2, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - A dazzling Manila in the heart of a blossoming metropolis by the bay, totally different from what it used to be 33 years ago, is what awaits the thousands of participants in next year’s travel mart of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
It's raining deals at Island Cove
The Philippine Star
Sept. 2, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Rain or shine, Island Cove continues to keep its guests busy until October.
Globe joins Davao's Kadayawan 2011
The Philippine Star
Sept. 2, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom is one with Dabawenyos as they recently celebrated Mindanao’s biggest festival — the Kadayawan sa Davao 2011, a major tourist attraction that attracts hundreds of thousands of local and foreign visitors annually.
Roughing it up in Mercedes
Manila Standard Today
By Lito Cinco
Sept. 2, 2011
Rough perfectly describes the adventure that awaited the kayakers who joined the second leg of the Philippine Kayaking Association’s Kayak Explore Mercedes Kadagatan Festival in Camarines Norte.
Treasures of the Walled City
Manila Bulletin
By Cecilia S. Angeles
Sept. 1, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino chieftain Rajah Soliman had his residence here, a beautiful place along Pasig River, a thriving business area among Asian traders until Spanish conquerors who landed in Mactan on March 25, 1521 spread unlike wild fire but like winged creatures, creeping into all nooks and corners of the Philippine Islands.
Must-do things in Bacolod
Manila Standard Today
By Harold Geronimo
Sept. 1, 2011
When the “ber” month comes, it also means that one of the country’s best festivals is fast approaching. A month from now, the revelry of MassKara Festival officially begins.
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