Singapore Graduate Students Have More Fun in Bicol Town

Libon, a small but rich agricultural town in the third district of Albay province, has the potential to become a rural tourism hub in the Bicol region.

A group of senior management students from Singapore’s foremost university, who recently visited the province in June, thinks so.

The 27-member Senior Management Program (SMP) students of the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY SPP) of the National University of Singapore, which ranks No. 2 among the top universities in Asia, reached this conclusion following a weeklong visit to Albay from June 17 to 22, said the group’s professor, Scott Fritzen.

The students, senior government and private firm officials from Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Botswana, Nigeria, Australia and United Kingdom, said farming, fishing, beach resorts and seaports are the likely areas for investments that could develop Libon as Albay’s rural tourism hub.

Libon, with 4,000 hectares of rice fields, produces 30.4 million kilograms of palay per year and is considered the “rice granary” of Albay.

Source: inquirer.net

RELATED LINKS:

• Making Catanduanes a Tourism Destination - Suggestions to eco-tourism development.
• Tourism: The Catandungan Way - Suggestion to use social networking sites and student organizations for tourism development.
• Camera Club to Document Tourist Spots in 11 Towns - Catanduanes Camera Club initiative.

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Bicol Watersports Attract 2.33 Million Visitors; Cebu’s Beaches, Resorts Bring in 1.7 million

Camarines Sur, the new watersports adventure capital of the country, has edged out Metro Manila and Cebu as the top tourist stops in the Philippines.

This is based on the report of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report using data from the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) regional offices.

In 2010, CamSur overtook Metro Manila and Cebu as the top tourist destination in the country with 2.33 million visitors, the NSCB said.

Metro Manila was second place with almost 2.3 million visitors and Cebu was third with 1.77 million visitors.

Cebu, which has an international airport like Manila, used to be the number 1 destination in 2008 with 1.6 million visitors.

Camsur was then a distant placer with only 721,024 visitors after Metro Manila’s 1.35 million and Baguio City’s 814,975 visitors.

In 2009, CamSur dramatically improved its rank to the third top destination with 1.56 million visitors. Metro Manila was first with 1.9 million visitors and Cebu was second with 1.6 million visitors.

Camsur made the leap by opening the Camsur Watersports Complex, the largest wakeboarding facility in Asia.

The unique park is designed for waterskiing, waterskiing and and wakeskating and has a 6-point cable ski system. It recently hosted the Ironman 70.3, the first time the Philippines hosted this international triathlon event.

The idea of establishing a major center for adventure sports was the brainchild of Gov. Luis Raymund “LR” Villafuerte, who is on his third and last term as governor and plans to run as congressman in the second district in 2013.

Tourism is a major economic driver in Cebu’s economy, largely relying on the island’s reputation for beaches, resorts, combined with an urban lifestyle that allows shopping and varied restaurants, along with Cebu’s cultural and historical appeal as the oldest city in the country.

Nationwide, foreign visitors on the average stayed for nine nights. Overseas-based Filipinos stayed for 19 nights based on visitor sample surveys for the period 200 to 2010, according the NCSMB.

Over the last decade, a tourist spent around $90 per day on the average. About 33.2 percent was spent on accommodation, 22.8 percent on food and beverages, and 21.4 percent on shopping.

Foreign tourists spent mostly on accommodation while balikbayans (visiting overseas Filipinos) splurged mainly on shopping.

“If we want to generate income from tourism, our entrepreneurial choices are clear.” the NSCB said.

However, tourist spending has noticeably declined. The averages for 2009 and 2010 were generally less than those for 2001 to 2008, said the NCSMB.

Tourism is one of the priority sectors in the Philippine Development Plan, which says the domestic economy must grow at a rate of 7 to 8 percent per year in the medium term (2010 to 2016) to curb poverty.

Over a three-year period from 2008 to 2010, Metro Manila still attracted the most number of visitors in the Philippines at 5.6 million, the NSCB said.

Cebu was second with almost 5 million visitors and Camsur was third with 4.6 million visitors.

For the same three-year period, Metro Manila had the lead over Cebu, Camarines Sur, Baguio City, and Boracay among the top five visitor draws in the Philippines.

The NSCB noted positive developments in other destinations as well. The statistical agency said the growth rate of foreign visitor arrivals in Boracay and Palawan in 2010 was higher than in Bali, Indonesia, which is an internationally well-known tourism destination.

This comparison came from data from DOT Region VI and from Bali’s immigration statistics.

The decelerated growth of visitor arrivals in Bali for 2005 and 2006 may be attributed to the 2005 Bali bombings as well as several travel warnings against non-essential trips to Indonesia, the NSCB said.

However, in terms of visitor numbers for the year, Boracay and Palawan received only 10.9 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of the foreign visitors received by Bali. with INQUIRER report - Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Source: Inquirer News

RELATED LINKS:

• 2008 Wishlist - Challenges and list of issues that needs to be addressed by local and provincial executives.
• Making Catanduanes a Tourism Destination - Suggestions to eco-tourism development.
• Tourism: The Catandungan Way - Suggestion to use social networking sites and student organizations for tourism development.
• Camera Club to Document Tourist Spots in 11 Towns - Catanduanes Camera Club initiative.
• Our Next Gateway to Bicol - Planned port in Caramoran Catanduanes by 2010
• Japanese Retirement Village in the Philippines - A repost from Japan External Trade Organization
• About GeoTourism - National Geographic sustainable travel.
• Google Earth Tour: Philippine International Airports - Geographical visualization tour of international airports in the Philippines.
• Google Earth Asian Tour - Geographical visualization of major Asian cities.
• Looking for Virac Map Online - Suggestion to update streets and landmarks in Virac.
• Smiling at Life in Catanduanes - Suggestion for retirement village development.
• PRA Business Guide - Philippine Retirement Authority business guide.
• Barangay Manambrag - Profile of a coastal barangay.

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Fr. Joel Rama Died Thursday Morning

REV. JOEL S. RAMA, Died June 14, 2012, following a car/train collision on Sunday June 10, 2012 while travelling between Macoun and Estevan to say Mass.

Rev. Rama was a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Regina for the past five years, serving as Administrator of the parishes of St. John the Baptist, Estevan; St. Monica, Bienfait; St. Joseph, Midale and Our Lady 0f Immaculate Conception, Macoun and Parish moderator of the Lampman area which includes Lampman, Benson, Forget and Maryland.

Born March 15, 1969 in Pandan, Catanduanes, Philippines. He was predeceased by his father Jose Rama and is survived by his mother Emerlina Sabeniano Rama and two siblings. Rev. Rama attended Holy Rosary Minor Seminary, Naga City, Phillippines and graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Theology. He was ordained October 25, 1995 by Most Rev. Manolo A. delos Santos, Bishop of Virac. After serving as an Associate pastor and Diocesan Youth Director for ten years in the Dicoese of Virac. He spent a sabbatical year in the Diocese of Victoria, B. C. and decided to move to Canada.

Rev. Rama joined the Archdiocese of Regina on December 8, 2005 and assisted at Little Flower in Regina until July 2006. In August of that year he was appointed Administrator of the parishes of St. George, Assiniboia; St. Louis, Mossbank and St. Ignace, Willow Bunch. He moved to Estevan in August 2007.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Source: www.archregina.sk.ca
Photo: RCMP

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ASEAN Moves to Promote Bloc as Single Tourist Destination

BANGKOK (Xinhua) - The member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are now joining hands in promoting the bloc as a single tourist destination to further develop the tourism industry in the region, according to the Indonesian tourism minister.

"Through the cooperation between ASEAN tourism ministers, we have already developed ASEAN joint-market promotion and marketing strategies; we are going out to develop ASEAN's image as a single tourist destination," Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia's Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy, said in a recent interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on East Asia.

Under the single tourist scheme, ASEAN countries can issue a common visa for visitors travelling in any member-country of the regional grouping. Currently, only citizens of the ASEAN member- countries can travel throughout the region without visas.

According to the minister, the initiative is part of the region 's effort of forming a single market by 2015 under the blueprint of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

By drawing comparison between ASEAN and a cruise ship, Pangestu said every country inside the body can have different "ports of call" as they offer foreign visitors a variety of travel experiences.

"You can have many combinations. For example, you can go to Singapore, Bali (Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand) on only one trip and you also have many other choices," she said.

If ASEAN is to offer single-destination comforts for visitors, simplification of visa procedures could be expected.


Pangestu said the region's authorities are still working on a proposal for the issuance of an "ASEAN common visa" for non-ASEAN visitors which was made last year.

"Recommendations will be filed again at next year's ASEAN summit," she said. She added, however, that the process could be very time-consuming.

"Taking the Schengen system as an example, it took decades for the Europeans to finalize it," Pangestu said. "Probably, we can start with two or three countries for special types of visitors like businessmen, and then extend the common visa policy in the long-term to other groups of visitors."

Attending a TV debate session entitled "Driving Growth through Travel and Tourism" at the WEF, Pangestu called on her ASEAN counterparts to further tap into the region's tourist potentials as she emphasized the significance of intra-ASEAN tourism which, she said, is a good way for the people in the region to develop a better understanding on the region itself and recognize themselves as citizens of ASEAN as a whole.

"Last year, ASEAN attracted around 82 million tourists, of which 50 percent traveled within the region," she said.

Echoing her views, Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said although most people acknowledge that travel contributes to job creation and economic growth, cumbersome and outdated visa procedures are still a major impediment to the growth of sector.

Speaking at another session at the forum, the UNCTAD chief urged the ASEAN members to take proactive measures aimed at reducing obstacles to travel mobility and make tourism a mainstream development strategy.

Source: www.philstar.com
Updated June 05, 2012 12:00 AM

RELATED LINKS:

• Google Earth Tour: Philippines International Airports - Geographical visualization tour of Philippines international airports.
• ASEAN Eyes Becoming World Class Tourist Destination - ASEAN Tourism Forum aiming at promoting ASEAN as the world class tourist destination by 2015.
• Google Earth Asian Tour - Suggestion to use technology in promoting tourism in the country.

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