Entertainment City blooms. Property prices at the Entertainment City project in Paranaque City may further increase in the coming months, after doubling over the past four years, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.
CNN cites 3 Philippine beaches. Cable News Channel (CNN) has included three Philippine beaches on its list of the best 100 beaches in the world. The Atlanta-based CNN said Puka Beach in Boracay, El Nido in Palawan, and Palaui Island in Cagayan are among the best destinations for beachgoers around the globe. It listed Palaui at No. 10, the only Southeast Asian beach in the Top 10.
Major diving destination. The Philippines has been recognised as among the world’s top destinations for diving in this year’s Top 100 Readers Choice Awards by Scuba Diving Magazine, which is “based on opinions of thousands of divers from across the globe.”
The Philippines, which is part of the Pacific and Indian Ocean region, was named Best Value of Diving Dollar by the magazine, surpassing four other destinations: Palau, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
A study by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has included the Philippines as among the 10 destinations where tourism saw big leaps in 2012.
Experts say there’s plenty to extol about the Southeast Asian island nation: “The people are friendly, the food is great — it’s one of those places that hasn’t been overrun with tourists,” the report said.
Century eyes Palawan resort. Property developer Century Properties Group is venturing into tourism sector with the launching of an integrated resort development in Palawan, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.
Century Properties chairman Ambassador Jose E.B. Antonio said the company would launch either by the last quarter of the year or the first quarter of 2014 its first tourism-related project.
He said the company has acquired 100 hectares of land in Palawan and is now finalising the masterplan for the property. The company’s venture into tourism sector is part of its diversification plans.
New Holiday Inn opens in Makati
Holiday Inn & Suites Makati (HISM) targets business executives as its clients, according to a report by Philippine Star.
“International business travellers make up the bulk of Holiday Inn & Suites Makati’s pre-opening sales,” said Ms. Maricor Aquino, director of sales and marketing of Holiday Inn & Suites Makati. She said 90 percent of the reservations were done via the hotel’s online portal.
Boracay, Cebu to open new hotel rooms. Luxury destinations Boracay, Cebu and Palawan are adding thousands of new hotel rooms this year, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.
Real estate advisory firm CBRE Philippines said the 27 upcoming hotels in Boracay alone would add 2,655 hotel rooms. It said with the rise of Aqua Boracay, the last single big development project on the resort island, only 168.5 hectares of disposable and alienable land were left for future developments.
About PhP30 billion is being invested by the private sector in the tourism sector, strengthening the industry’s claim to be a new engine of growth for the economy, according to a report by BusinessMirror.
While the bulk of the investments is in Metro Manila, there are a rising number of investments in key tourism destinations such as Davao del Sur, Cebu, Zambales, South Cotobato, Benguet, Pampanga and Palawan.
Foreign retirees in the Philippines reached 29,589 as of 15th March 2013 and their number is expected to increase 5 percent annually over the next four years, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.
Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) general manager Veredigno Atienza said cumulative gross enrolment through the special resident retirement visa (SRRV) as of 15th March this year increased by 26.7 percent from 23,360 as of December 2010.
The SRRV allows foreign retiree-members to retire and live in the Philippines for as long as they want. The visa is a privilege granted to foreigners who would like to have a permanent resident status in the country.
There are more Filipinos in Macau than in Batanes. They are everywhere in the 30-square-kilometer former Portuguese colony that is now a part of China.
A thriving workforce numbering between 30,000 and 50,000, the Filipino workers in Macau welcome tourists at the airport, open doors at hotels, cook and wait at restaurants, serve in households and work in banks and offices.
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