Tagged: Trivia

World's Largest Breast-feeding
On May 4, 2006, some 3,738 mothers simultaneously breastfed their babies for one minute at the San Andres Sports and Civic Center in Malate, Manila, breaking the old Guinness World Record set by 1,135 mothers in Berkeley, California on August 3, 2002.

World's Largest Kissing Scene
On February 14, 2004, some 5,327 couples in the Philippines kissed simultaneously for 10 seconds, setting a new record for the Guinness Book of World Records. The participants occupied two kilometers of Roxas Boulevard in Manila. The event was organized by toothpaste maker Close Up.

World's Largest Aerobics Class
On February 16, 2003, some 48,188 individuals participated in a simultaneous aerobics class at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila, breaking another Guinness World Record.

As of December 2008, the Philippines had 17 regions; 81 provinces; 136 cities; 1,495 municipalities or towns; and 42,008 barangays.

In the fourth quarter of 2008 alone, 13 new barangays or villages, including Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City (Metro Manila), were added in the Philippine Standard Geographic Code masterlist, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

International visitor arrivals in the Philippines hit a new record of 3.139 million in 2008, thanks to double-digit rise in volume of tourists from Europe and emerging markets such as Russia and India, despite the global economic downturn that affected movement of tourists in many countries.

The figure was up by 1.5 percent from 3.092 million arrivals recorded in 2007, according to Tourism Secretary Ace Durano. In 2007, arrivals grew 8.7 percent from 2.843 million.

Lonely Planet has included the Philippines as one of 10 best value destinations for 2011.  The Philippines was cited as the go-to spot "for those who desire nothing more than to find great, undiscovered beaches, surf the odd wave and eat unique, distinctive food for under US$20 a day."

After growing 14 percent to around 2.6 million in 2005, international visitor arrivals to the Philippines surged 22.1 percent year-on-year in January, buoyed by the staging of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Tourism Forum in Davao City.

International visitor arrivals to the Philippines hit a record high of 2.843 million in 2006, according to the Department of Tourism. "2006 was a good year for Philippine tourism," said Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, adding that prospects for 2007 are even better, with the expected completion of new resorts and accommodation facilities that will bring the total number of hotel rooms to about 18,000 by yearend.