Tourist Spots in Philippines

Tourist Spots in Philippines

Featured Destinations

Manila Ocean Park
Manila Ocean Park , the PhP1-billion marine park constructed by Singaporean and Malaysian investors at the back of Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park, opened on 29th February 2008. "The park is set to be the city's major tourist destination. It is expected to draw millions of visitors on its first year, offering a unique tourist experience beyond the usual shopping activities," said park developer, China Oceanis Philippines, Inc., a joint venture between Singaporean and Malaysian investors.

Davao City, world's largest city
Travel and airline executives met in Davao City in February 2008 to develop and promote the sub-regional group of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) as one tourist destination. "We have to brand it as one destination," said Wee Hong Seng, president of the Sarawak Tourism Federation. BIMP-EAGA is a sub-regional group of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formed in 1994 to help develop the economic well-being of the member countries through various tourism and trade exchanges and programs.

Historic Butuan
A national cultural treasure, estimated to be more than 1,600 years old, is housed in an old dilapidated structure near the east bank of the Libertad river in this historic city and trade center of Agusan del Norte province. The Balanghai shrine, a one-storey building being maintained by the National Museum, houses two of the three ancient boats discovered and excavated from 1976 to 1986. A curator and restorer at the Balanghai Shrine said radiocarbon tests administered by Japanese experts on one of these boats suggested that the wooden boat could have existed as early as 320 AD. Another boat was carbon dated to be more than 1000 years old.

Makati Attractions
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines, being the location of choice for the regional headquarters of multinational companies and the country's largest conglomerates. It is also home to the Philippine Stock Exchange. At Ayala Center, the heart of Makati, there are several shopping malls and international restaurants. It is also surrounded by a number of hotels such as Oakwood Premiere Hotel (now Ascott), Hotel Intercontinental, Makati Shangri La, Dusit Hotel Nikko, and Renaissance Hotel. Also within walking distance are the Peninsula Manila and the Mandarin Oriental.

CamSur Water Sports Complex
PILI, Camarines Sur - A provincial government-run water sports complex in this capital town has reinvigorated tourism and business activities in Bicol, prompting investors to open new hotels to accommodate the influx of foreign guests. "In the first six months of 2007 alone, more than 57,000 foreign tourists visited Bicol, easily surpassing the 49,000 international visitors in the whole of 2006," said Maria Ong Ravanilla, the regional tourism officer for Bicol. Ravanilla, speaking at the sidelines of the 8th Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines held at the world-class Cam Sur water sports complex, said that because of increased arrivals in Bicol, a 65-room first-class facility called Avenu Plaza Hotel opened in Naga City recently.

Alona Beach
PANGLAO Island, Bohol (06 May 2007) - Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano has inaugurated the first phase of a P600-million upscale resort complex that is riding on the tourism boom in this province. "This is a clear, big investment that is testimonial of the health of tourism in Bohol," Durano said, referring to the 16-hectare Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa, which is building 70 luxurious villas catering to the rich Filipino tourists and visitors from Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea.

Donsol, Whale Shark Capital
Once a sleepy coastal village located at the northwestern tip of Sorsogon province, this town now eyes to be a first-class municipality, thanks to giant sea creatures that are now attracting hordes of foreign and local tourists who infuse millions of pesos into the local economy. “Donsol was elevated to a third-class municipality in 2006 from a fourth-class status in 2003 and fifth-class in 1998, because of the butanding,” Mayor Salve Ocaya said, while giving tribute to the whale sharks, considered as the world’s largest fish that have found a home in the plankton-rich municipal waters of Donsol.

Boracay Paradise
Widely known as one of the finest swimming destinations in the world, Boracay is blessed with unsullied fine talcum powder-sand beaches. Its tranquil crystal clear waters are perfect for swimming, sailing, fishing and sunbathing. Boracay also boasts of sapphire seas and spectacular sunsets. Countless hidden coves dot the island and tall coconut trees line up along the beaches. Boracay lies at the northwest tip of Panay, in the west Visayas region, off the Sibuyan Sea. The island is made up of villages, namely: Yapak in the north, Balabag in the middle, and Manocmanoc in the south.

Captivating Guimaras
Nueva Valencia, Guimaras - An Italian couple on a two-month holiday in the Philippines chose to include this paradise in their itinerary and stayed at the Raymen Beach Resort in December 2006, unperturbed by news about the oil spill that brought the island province to world attention in August of the same year. "We are just here to see good beaches," said the Boldo couple, who are just among the hundreds of foreign guests who kept coming to Guimaras even in the aftermath of the infamous oil spill. Guimaras has 238.3-kilometer coastline, with long stretches of white, powdery sand considered among the finest in the world.

Wonderful Palawan
The exotic beauty of Palawan remains undefiled. Branded as the country's last frontier, Palawan is a sanctuary to an amazing variety of exotic flora and fauna that are found nowhere else. With more than a thousand islands and islets, Palawan boasts of white-sand beaches, scenic rock formations, underwater rivers and magnificent caves. Palawan is also home to Tubbataha Reef, the only national marine park that made it to the World Heritage List and whose grandeur is comparable to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

Banaue Rice Terraces
Traversing the rugged terrains of Cordillera highlands in a span of one week is an adventure in itself and could be an immense learning experience for someone who has the guts to look down into the depths of mountain cliffs to get a good view of the rice terraces. With tall rice terraces at the backdrop and cool breeze shuttling between mountain peaks, a journey across the Cordillera mountain ranges exposes one to an atmosphere strangely different from the daily offering of Manila and its suburbs. More importantly, it provides a peek into the ancient Philippine civilization before the foreigners came.