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Wow, I heard that Zac Efron was in Bicol and I didn’t realize that he had so much fun there! Look!

He’s riding an ATV ride here and by the look of his smile, it really looks like he had so much fun.

I remember our visit to Bicol two years ago, the food, the trip to the hot springs and more. I would love to go back there and who knows maybe we can try that ATV ride too!

* Photo Grabbed from http://www.facebook.com/legazpicity.

Here’s another great news from Good News Pilipinas! I just love reading some news like this. It makes me feel proud of our country. How about you? Do you want to feel proud? Check it out! (*wink*)

The Philippines has landed on the list of top 10 most-searched travel destinations among Shanghai online users of China’s leading search engine Baidu, according to a research done by Darwin Marketing.

Baidu comprises 72 percent of the Chinese online market, and is the third largest search engine in the world in December last year.

Google posted a 19 percent share in the same market, placing it at a distant second to Baidu

The Philippines is 8th among the top travel destinations, with Japan placing 1st; South Korea, 2nd; Thailand, 3rd; Singapore, 4th; Australia, 5th; Bali, 6th; Malaysia, 7th; North Korea, 9th; and France, 10th.

Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano acknowledged the good news, saying, “On top of this report, we have several other developments in progress for China. It is a strong market which will augment the slowdown in other regions.”

Referring to the information provided by the Shanghai Tourism Board, Durano mentioned that the board has reported a 57 percent increase in tour group movement from Shanghai to the Philippines.

He added that Shanghai Post also complimented the country for getting the biggest increase in visa collections, with a 65 percent year-to-date growth rate recorded from January to October of 2008.

Apart from the data gleaned from these reports, DOT Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions Eduardo Jarque Jr. also highlighted several positive reinforcements coming from the air transportation sector.

“Three additional flights to Cebu and the Hangzhou-Manila charter will soon be offered regularly. Charters, which include two-three flights a week for Hangzhou-Manila, Hangzhou-Cebu, and Shanghai-Kalibo are now in negotiations to accommodate the increase in traffic during the Chinese New Year,” Jarque said.

The Chinese market is the fourth top tourism source, posting a 5.4 percent increase in tourist arrivals from January to October of this year. (Story courtesy of PNA)

Here’s another good news from Good News Pilipinas which I find it very exciting. I love Palawan so much and I would want to visit another city there. I’ve been to Puerto Princesa and the trip was a blast! Hoping to go to Coron one of these days.

Filipino businessmen engaged in tourism industry are eyeing a piece of land here in Coron as they considered this island town as the “Next Big Thing” in the country’s tourism. More Filipino investors are putting up their investments, building island resorts in Coron, board member and Philippine Councilor’s League (PCL) Palawan Chapter president Jim Gerald Pe told PNA.

Pe, a native of Coron, said some businessmen already acquired tropical islands, beach front properties, residential lots and other real estate properties in preparation to the rosy development of tourism in this island town.

He said one of them is Salvador Zamora who partnered with the Banyan Tree Holdings Limited (Banyan Tree) who is pushing its $ 70-million island resort project in Dinaran Island here.

Banyan Tree Holdings and Global and regional hotel chains as industry leaders Accor are also rushing to open hotels and resort in northern Palawan. The 55-hectare uninhabited Dinaran island is surrounded by stretches of white-sand beach which is just 15 minutes away by speedboat from the town proper.

The other businessman is William Gatchalian, who owns Waterfront Properties Inc. He plans to invest P5 billion to develop an island here into a resort, gaming and residential V complex.

The island, Uson, is one of the cluster of islands in the northern tip of the province. The 1,200-hectare island will be Gatchalian’s first venture into resort development and it is part of Waterfront’s plan to have 20 hotels in two years from its current portfolio of eight hotels and casinos. Gatchalian said initially, P2 billion will be spent for Uson to build three first-class hotels with 300 rooms each on one-half of the island.
The other investor is Esteban Tajanlangit, owner of luxury ship M/V 7107 Island Cruise, already acquired the island of Ditaytayan, Malcapuya, Demanglet and other islands. The cruise ship docked here last Aug. 27, but since then, has not sailed because pending problem with the Bureau of Customs.

Pe described Tajanlangit as “tourism locator”, because he promotes the development of “tourism triangle” that include Calamianes Group of Islands, Puerto Galera and Boracay.

He added the property value of an island has increased compared to previous years. Pe said two to three years ago, it was only P250 per square meter, but now, it cost more than one thousand pesos per square meter. Price of commercial property in the Calamianes is dependent on size, terrain, distance to mainland, quality of beach, he added. “Coron is God’s country”, Pe said, referring to the description made by veteran journalist Antonio Lopez.

Another good news from Good News Pilipinas! I just feel that there are so many places to go to and I’m proud to say that I’ve been to both the Underground river and chocolate hills. But I have yet to discover Tubbataha Reef which I heard was REALLY beautiful!

Underground River
Underground River No. 1, Chocolate Hills No. 4, Tubbataha Reef No.5

Our country is full of natural wonders that continue to captivate people the world over. Palawan’s Subterranean River, Sulu Sea’s Tubbataha Reef and Bohol’s Chocolate Hills continue to top the list of the ongoing New 7 Wonders campaign.

“The response of people and support from our fellow Filipinos are very evident in this turn out, and we can expect increased tourist awareness of country’s beautiful treasures,” The Department of Tourism said.

Esteemed as one of the real highlights of Palawan, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park still is at the top spot. The limestone cave that the river passes through is thought to be one of the longest navigable river-traversed tunnels in the world, and travellers say that a journey into the darkness of this riverine cave is a truly unique experience.

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Here’s another good news from Good News Pilipinas by Lynda B. Valencia. I haven’t been to the Pearl Farm resort personally but will definitely check it out of these days. It is actually part of my list of destinations and I can’t wait for that day to come.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort which lies in a secluded cove on palm-fringed Samal Island (now known as the Island Garden City of Samal) off the coast of Davao City, is one of the country’s up market resorts today.

The 11-hectare Pearl Farm Beach Resort was once a pearl farm in 1958, the Aguinaldo Pearl Farm, where thousands of white lipped oysters, transported from the Sulu Sea, were cultivated for their pink, white and gold pearls.

“The place is what you call paradise on earth,” said Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano.
It may be an exaggeration, but that is the feeling one gets when he or she sets foot on the island’s pristine and serene beauty.

At the Pearl Farm, one can have the best of both worlds –an exotic and luxurious five-star island resort and at the same time, a resort that is accessible and close to the mainland.

A unique feature of this beautiful resort are the Samal houses patterned after the stilt houses of the seafaring Samal tribe of Sulu. Placed near the entrance of each houses are a jar of water and a coconut dipper which guests may use to wash off the sand after a swim or walk on the beach.

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I encountered this nice website called Good News Pilipinas. It is a website that gives us nice news about the Philippines. Achievements of some Filipinos abroad and more. Here’s one of the good news that I want to share here.

Tagaytay City is one of the top five retirement havens in the Philippines as cited four foreign trade chambers – European, American, Japan and Korean Chamber of Commerce.

The enclave south of capital joins Manila, Subic, Cebu, and Dumaguete in the list of the most preferred choices of local and foreign retirees.

The citation is a testament of Tagaytay’s unique characteristic and comparative advantage over other places in the country, a city official said.

Its advantages as a retirement haven include its peace and order, cool climate, scenic view of the Taal Volcano, proximity to Metro Manila, and abundance of housing facilities, recreational and leisure sites, religious institutions, and retreat houses.

The Tagaytay local government lauded the citation by the foreign chambers and vowed to work in partnership with them, as well as the Philippine Retirement Authority, in the efforts to promote the entire country as a retirment destination.

The recognition, he said, inspires the people of Tagaytay to continue efforts aimed at preserving the “rural charm” of the city. This would ensure that it is truly a retirement haven, he also said.

The retirement industry has been growing over the years due to changes in global demographics with the rapid aging of the world’s population, officials said.

This demographic trend offers an opportunity for the Philippines as it offers a comprehensive retirement program to serve the needs of foreign retirees.