DOT Q1 Report: RP gains more tourists, robustincrease in investments, widened travel and employment

MANILA, April 30 —- Amidst the worldwide economic downturn, Philippine tourism expanded in terms of investments, travel and employment for the 2009 first quarter, according to the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) plans and program report.

The report submitted to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that from January to March this year, new hotels and resorts opened a total of 1,231 additional rooms at the cost of P8.16 billion and hired 1,286 employees.

For instance, the opening of Cebu’s P3.18-billion Imperial Palace Water Park, Resort and Spa increased the room supply to 14,792 which provided jobs to 780 workers.

The P8.5-million San Remigio Beach Club in the northern part of Cebu also opened its new facilities by building a convention center to capture the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) of both international and domestic markets as an investment.

In Boracay Island, the high-end 217-room Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa opened just in time for the influx of tourists on vacation and long holidays, thus, initially hiring 488 workers to manage its various ranges of product offerings.

In Palawan, seven locators investing in 28 cluster villas for a total cost of P761.9 million in the Amanpulo Tourism Enterprise Zone also began their operation during the first quarter.

Metro Manila is on boom with the opening of the Legend International’s Park, Bed and Breakfast Hotel, Eurotel Hotel Branch in Makati City, and the expansion of Oakwood Serviced Residences increased the total room supply by 320.

By year-end, some 1,946 people will be directly employed nationwide once the additional 2,315 rooms become operational in the following destinations:

•Metro Manila: Manila Ocean Park (120 rooms), The Picasso Serviced Residences (136 rooms), Newport Marriott Hotel (342 rooms), and Maxims Hotel (178 rooms).

•Cebu: Radisson Hotel (400 rooms).

•Boracay: Crowne Regency (449), Phonex Hotel (130 rooms), Boracay Regency Lagoon (120 rooms), Seven Stones (100 rooms), Grand Water (100 rooms).

•Puerto Princesa: Microtel Inns and Suites (50 rooms)

•Tagaytay: Summer Ridge (108 rooms).

•Albay: Discovery Bay Misibis (82 rooms).

To meet the increasing demand for tourism services, the DOT endorsed five development projects worth P6.323 billion in this year’s quarter, which will generate 6,340 employment opportunities for local residents in the said tourist areas.

A US $ 200-million luxury spa and resort is also set to be developed by Banyan Tree in a 55-hectare property in Diwaran Island off Palawan to generate 8,000 direct and indirect jobs during the planning, construction and operational stages from 2009 to 2012.

In Subic, Harbor Yacht Services (HYS) Philippines will construct a restaurant and resort in a marina facility with an investment package of P36.1 million. New tourist products up

The country's biggest man-made lake, the P20-million, 18-hectare Lago del Rey, was opened recently to tourists by the provincial government of Camarines Sur.

This new tourist product complements the wakeboarding park set up by the LGU in 2005, which also offers family-oriented activities such as boat riding, fishing, and swimming, among others.

Up north in Cagayan, the Anguib beach has started to draw foreign and domestic wind and kite surfing enthusiasts because of its unspoiled natural wealth and wider and bigger reef ideal for the sports.

To promote the area, the DOT and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) have organized a windsurfing exhibition which was attended by international and local windsurfers.

With increased demand for nature and wildlife adventure, the DOT and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines have jointly developed birdwatching tours in coordination with tour operators and LGUs in key destinations.

The most notable bird watching sites are in Balanga City, Candaba Swamp, Paitan Lake, Pantabangan Dam, Puerto Princesa, Hundred Islands National Park, Subic Bay, Olango Island and Mount Apo.

The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, a leading conservation organization in the United Kingdom, will dispatch a fact- finding mission in May 2009 to assist the DOT and other agencies in the preservation and promotion of wetlands for wildlife habitat.

A most recent sea kayak competition was also designed by the DOT and the LGU of Alaminos in the Hundred Islands National Park in Pangasinan.

Managed by the Hundred Islands Eco-Tour Association (HIETA), a community-based organization of out-of-school youth, the package involved a half- and whole-day kayak clinic and tour of the charming islets of the Hundred Islands as well as camping experience in Bolo Beach.

The HIETA has been tapped by the DOT and Sun and Sea Kayaks to provide tour services during the Kayak Explore Hundred Island Summer Eco-Challenge in April 2009.

In Silang, Cavite, a P500-million Wakeboard Park will rise to cap the popularity of the CamSur Wakeboarding Camp in a 12-hectare area. Increased tourist destinations

Foreign visitors in top destinations of the country during the first quarter of 2009 grew by 10.33 percent for a total of P1.3 million.

Cebu attracted the biggest volume of visitors with a share of 32 percent, followed by Boracay (12 percent), Davao City (11.9 percent, Camarines Sur (11 percent), Zambales (7 percent) and Bohol (5 percent).

Cebu was the most frequently visited destination by foreigners with 184,790 arrivals, followed by Boracay (63.903), Zambales (25.252), Camarines Sur (24,976) and Bohol (24,350).

Domestic tourist arrivals in Puerto Princesa City and Coron in Palawan posted a record-breaking growth of 392 percent as more flights were mounted to these destinations from Manila, Cebu, and Caticlan as well as Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia. p>Likewise, local visitors flocked to Camarines Sur for wakeboarding, Surigao del Sur, Sorsogon (Donsol) for whale shark interaction, Zambales (Subic) for recreation, Ilocos Norte and La Union for sightseeing and beach holiday resulting in double-digit gains in these destinations.

Overall, the volume of domestic tourists visiting key destinations grew faster at 13 percent while foreign arrivals recorded a four percent hike in the first quarter. (PNA) scs/LOR

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