Unbranded Spots

The Philippines is famous for numerous tourist spots, but many other not-so-usual destinations in the country provide just as much pleasure

By Maureen Macaraig-Martinez

The country managed to entice close to two million tourists from around the world in 2003. The Department of Tourism may have failed to reach its three million target for last year, but with all the negative publicity that hurt the sector – among them the US invasion of Iraq, the SARS scare, and a series of bomb explosions in the southern part of the country, the Department’s WOW Philippines campaign should still be lauded for all of its efforts to promote tourism in the country.

There is a seemingly fresh start for the industry this year, as well. Even as uncertainty continues to loom in anticipation of the elections, tourist arrivals already posted a 13.7 percent increase in the first two months of 2004 compared to the same period last year.

All these developments have been the result, not only of good promotional campaigns, but the actual gift of nature of the Philippines. It is the country’s Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, and Davao, among others, that both foreign and local tourists are time and again raving about. It is these world-renowned local destinations that have put the Philippines into the tourism map of many travelers.

Still, it is refreshing to know that aside from the already famous tourist spots in the country, other less discovered sites exist and are just as inviting. Philippine Business takes you on a trip to two of the country’s not-so-usual destinations. One is a remote ecotourism destination in Negros Occidental, which has been subject of years of conservation efforts. Another is an inspiring community of monks sustained by the teachings of St. Benedict as well as nature’s bounty in Bukidnon.

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