Category: Destination

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.

A leisurely cruise of the Pasig River on board air-conditioned, 150-seater ferry boats now affords both domestic passengers and foreign tourists alike a fresh view of Manila and its historic establishments and trading places, thanks to an Asian Development Bank-financed program to rehabilitate the 27-kilometer tributary and make it an alternative transport route.

International tourism receipts in the Philippines surged 41 percent year-on-year to about $4.9 billion in 2007, as international visitor arrivals grew 8.7 percent to a record 3.092 million.

Binondo China Town

Across the Pasig River from Intramuros is the Binondo area, home of Chinatown. The district is filled with all things Chinese from Peking duck and Buddhist temples to gold watches, snake soup, and wonder herbs. The high chords of Chinese songs and the permeating smell of incense complete the uniquely Chinese ambiance. It is said that this quaint district was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spaniards came in 1571.
 

Manila Tourist District

Manila, which was named after a white-flowered mangrove plant called nilad, was a tiny Malay settlement along the Pasig River ruled by Rajah Sulayman in the 16th century. The Spanish colonizers moved the capital of the Philippines from Cebu to Manila in 1571. They built the walled city of Intramuros, which for the next 300 years, was to become the nerve center of the Spanish rule.

About 804 new hotel and resort rooms opened in Cebu in 2009.  These rooms included those of the PhP3.18 billion Imperial Palace Water Park, Resort and Spa (567 rooms), Citi Park Hotel (105 rooms), Alpa City Suites (84 rooms), Oftana Suites (24 rooms), and Grand Terra Suite (24 rooms).

Surigao del Norte province plans to offer more attractions beyond surfing to entice more visitors.  In August, the local government held its first Siargao Surfing Festival, making the sport an official part of the province’s tourism programme. Aside from the usual surfing contest, the festival also involved an Agri and Aqua Trade Fair in the town of General Luna.
More tourist spots are now being developed on Siargao Island, including a mangrove fishing project to be patterned after Darwin, Australia’s mangrove sports fishing festival. The project will cover the town of Del Carmen, extending to the towns San Benito, Santa Monica and Pilar. The mangrove area on the island covers around 8,000 hectares.
Two international events are also held in Siargao – the International Surfing Cup in Gen. Luna and the International Game Fishing Competition in the town of Pilar.

Originally designed to only produce clean electricity, the Northwind Bangui Wind Farm, otherwise known as the Ilocos wind mills, has also become a famous tourist attraction on its own in Ilocos Norte province. Some people call them giant electric fans, which are visible from the highway leading to the beach resort of Pagudpud.

With the addition of the Bangui wind mills in Bangui to its growing list of tourist attractions, Ilocos Norte has become a major tourist destination in Luzon, thanks to its white-sand beaches in Pagudpud, the beautiful Baroque churches including the Paoay Church, the hotel complex at Fort Ilocandia, the houses and other facilities owned by the late President Ferdinand Marcos in Batac, the Sand Dunes in Laoag, the Kapurpurawan white rock formation and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos.

Makati and Ortigas Districts

Across the Pasig River from Intramuros is the Binondo area, home of Chinatown. The district is filled with all things Chinese from Peking duck and Buddhist temples to gold watches, snake soup, and wonder herbs. The high chords of Chinese songs and the permeating smell of incense complete the uniquely Chinese ambiance. It is said that this quaint district was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spaniards came in 1571.
 

Another popular destination, specially during the Lent period, is Mount Banahaw, an extinct volcano which rises 2,100 meters above sea level.   View Larger Map Disclaimer: EnjoyPhilippines.com is not responsible for content on external websites....