PANGLAO Island, Bohol (06 May 2007) - Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano has inaugurated the first phase of a P600 million upscale resort complex that is riding on the tourism boom in this province.
"This is a clear, big investment that is testimonial of the health of tourism in Bohol," Durano said, referring to the 10-hectare Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa, which is building 70 luxurious villas catering to the rich Filipino tourists and visitors from Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea.
Richard Lim, who is involved in salt production and shipping, said some 300 construction workers are being employed to finish the five-star project, that is expected to employ at least 120 resort and restaurant employees once completed.
Lim, the incoming president of the Greenhills Rotary in San Juan, said the first phase of the project, involving P150 million investment, is expected to be completed by July this year.
The project provides commanding views of the magnificent Mindanao Sea and features exotic villas, infinity pools and luxurious facilities.
He said this early, 15 villas are already available for occuppancy, with overnight rates ranging from $300 to $2,100. Some of the villas have own private swimming pools, whirlpool tub, outdoor spa, king-sized bed, spacious bathroom with vanity, mini-bar, and Internet connection.
Until recently, Panglao Island has stolen some of the glitters of the world-famous Boracay Island. Located at the southwestern tip of Bohol province, Panglao boasts of a long stretch of white-sand beaches embracing crystal-clear and blue waters.
Durano said the opening of the Panglao resort forms part of the additional 3,000 hotel and resort rooms that will be made available this year, to accommodate the growing number of international visitors and domestic tourists. International visitor arrivals peaked at 2.84 million last year and are expected to breach the 3-million mark for the first time this year, he added.
This idyllic island, one of the fastest growing destinations for foreign and local tourists, has also caught the attention of at least two international resort operators.
Durano said the Kingdom Hotel Investments which carries the Raffles and the Four Seasons brands, are looking at several properties in the island, lying about 370 kilometers south of Manila.
Another potential investor, Durano said, is the Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, one of the world's leading luxury resort and spa operators, which has recently found an island in Northern Palawan.
A lot of things are really happening in tourism. We just need to sustain the demand. The private sector can do a better job in supply," he said.
He said Bohol is fast rising as a prime tourist destination for Japanese and Korean markets and will benefit from the construction of the P3.6-billion circumferential road and the proposed Panglao international airport.
Durano said the construction of the airport will start in 2008, once the procurement of land is completed this year. The project is seen to be finished by 2009.
"Bohol is becoming so popular that in Japan, Bohol is now packaged as the prime destination, with Cebu as the secondary," he said.
Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud has teamed up with Ayala Land to invest $150 million for a resort project in Bohol. The Saudi Prince is reportedly interested in the property of the Fonacier family, which owns the 168-room Bohol Beach Club.
Nearly half a million tourists, including about 40,000 foreign guests, visited Bohol last year, and the Department of Tourism expects this number to increase soon with the construction of more resorts and completion of vital infrastructure projects.
Executives of the nearby Bohol Beach Club, the largest resort in Panglao, confirmed this, saying that more than 80 percent of its 168 rooms were occupied.
Bohol Congressman Edgar Chato, who chairs the House committee on tourism, said there are only 2,500 hotel and resort rooms in Bohol at present, which are not enough to accommodate the influx of visitors.
Fe Ginete, sales and public relations manager of Tambuli Resorts, which operates the Bohol Beach Club, confirmed this, saying that Tambuli plans expansion projects for its resorts in Bohol and Cebu in the coming months in response to rising demand for accommodation in Central Visayas.
Congressman Edgar Chato said a masterplan for Bohol tourism is now being finalized, making it the first and only province developing a system for the tourism industry.
"Bohol is in the right place and the right time for the industry," Chato said. "It is a province worth investing in."
Aside from Panglao, other top attractions in Bohol include the 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped Chocolate Hills, the town of Corella which is home to endemic tarsiers, and the diving spots near Cabilao and Balicasag islands. Roderick T. dela Cruz
CamSur water sports complex
PILI, Camarines Sur (03 October 2007) - A provincial government-run water sports complex in this capital town has reinvigorated tourism and business activities in Bicol, prompting investors to open new hotels to accommodate the influx of foreign guests.
"In the first six months of 2007 alone, more than 57,000 foreign tourists visited Bicol, easily surpassing the 49,000 international visitors in the whole of 2006," said Maria Ong Ravanilla, the regional tourism officer for Bicol.
Ravanilla, speaking at the sidelines of the 8th national convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) held at the world-class Cam Sur water sports complex, said that because of increased arrivals in Bicol, a 65-room first-class facility called Avenue Plaza Hotel opened in Naga City recently.
In Legaspi City, the Holiday Inn group won the bid to operate a 90-room hotel to be called LKY Hotel & Resort, she added.
Ravanilla said the Cam Sur water sports complex has buoyed tourism and business activities in Daet and the nearby Naga City while the whaleshark interaction in Donsol, Sorsogon had spillover effects on Naga City.
Including domestic tourists, she said Bicol drew 447,000 visitors in the first half and is on track of posting over 800,000 arrivals in 2007 for the first time. In 2006, Bicol received only 635,000 guests and in 2005, the number was only 501,000.
This year, Bicol is expected to benefit from P445 million in tourism revenues, up from P305 million in 2006, she added.
Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab credited the provincial government of Camarines Sur headed by Governor L-Ray Villafuerte for inducing tourism in Bicol.
"That is the advantage of having a young provincial governor with a vision for tourism," he said, adding that other local leaders are now looking at Camarines Sur as a model for tourism development. Roderick T. dela Cruz
Arrivals top 2 million in 8 months
PILI, Camarines Sur - International visitor arrivals to the Philippines hit two million in just the first eight months of 2007, putting the country on track of its target of drawing over 3 million foreign guests this year and 5 million by 2010.
"We will break the 3-million mark in international visitor arrivals for the first time this year," Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab said during the 8th national convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines held at the world-class Cam Sur water sports complex.
Palabyab said tourism can be an effective catalyst for economic growth that can replace overseas Filipino workers’ remittances as a source of foreign exchange in the future. "All the big companies are now into tourism development," he noted.
He said that in 2006, the country generated $2.7 billion in tourism receipts, but this can exceed $10 billion if concerted efforts are undertaken to promote tourism as a tool of economic development.
Palabyab admitted, however, that more investments would be needed to establish 20,000 hotel rooms to accommodate 5 million visitors over the next three years.
According to the Tourism Research and Statistics Division, international visitor arrivals reached 2.054 million in January to August this year, up by 8.5 percent from 1.893 million a year ago.
In August alone, arrivals jumped 10.3 percent year-on-year to 221,198, on the back of double-digit increase in the number of guests from Korea , China , and Hong Kong .
The League of Cities headed by Mandaluyong City Benhur Abalos Jr. said local leaders are now discovering tourism as an engine of economic development.
"We are going to sell Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for tourism program," Abalos said. "There is beauty all over the country."
Tourism officials said the Cam Sur water sports complex, which will host the 2008 World Wake Boarding Competition in July next year, proves that tourism projects spearheaded by local government units can be effective in inducing economic growth.
With the completion of the six-hectare water sports complex in May 2006, visitor arrivals in Camarines Sur surged 67 percent to 180,804 in the first five months of 2007 from 108,450 during the same period in 2006, according to provincial tourism officer Mariefe Nolasco-Maralit.
Of the total number of visitors, 17,897 were from other countries such as Germany , Austria , Japan , the United States and Australia .
Maria Ong Ravanilla, the regional tourism officer for Bicol, said that because of increased arrivals in Camarines Sur and other parts of Bicol region, a 65-room first-class facility called Avenue Plaza Hotel opened in Naga City recently.
Ravanilla said Bicol drew 447,660 visitors in the first half and is on track of posting over 800,000 arrivals in 2007 for the first time. In 2006, Bicol received only 637,127 guests and in 2005, the number was only 501,000.
Serviced apartment provider Oakwood is back in the Philippines, with the formal opening on September 9, 2009 of its 223-unit Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila in Ortigas Center built by the leisure and resort property unit of the family of biscuit magnate Jacinto Ng.
Undeterred by the global economic crisis, Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila, occupying 28 floors of the P3-billion 41-storey Joy~Nostalg Center Manila, actually had a soft launching on August 1, but the formal opening of the hotel is on September 9, 2009.
"We are back in the Philippines," said Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila general manager Brian Connelly. "Ortigas is the best location for corporate business. It is located just across the Asian Development Bank and is near large shopping malls, business process outsourcing establishments and call centers."
Connelly said Oakwood Premier is looking at business travellers, tourists, and Filipinos as its market. "We are drawing people from as far as Makati and Quezon City," he said.
Oakwood left the Philippines in November 2006, when Ayala Hotels Inc. chose Ascott Residence Trust of Singapore as the new manager of what used to be the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center in Makati.
Connelly said he expects an average occupancy rate of 55 to 60 percent in its first year of operation, before moving up to about 80 to 85 percent in the third year. On Tuesday, about 50 units of Oakwood Premier were occupied mostly by expatriates from ADB and executives of First Gas Power Corp.
Some 75 units have been reserved for occupancy for the Wednesday's formal opening of the hotel, he added. The apartment units have a minimum size of 41 square meters for a studio type, 86 square meters for one-bedroom superior suite, 94 square meters for one bed-room executive suite, 131 square meters for two-bedroom executive suite, and 182 square meters for three-bedroom suite. It also has a presidential suite covering 282 square meters.
Prices start from P11,800 for a daily stay in a studio type to about P20,700 for a three-bedroom suite. The presidential suite has a daily rate of P24,400.
Each unit has a king-size bed, dining area, fully-equipped gourmet kitchen, marble bathroom with waterproof flat-screen television and steam shower, washer with dryer, 40-inch high-definition home entertainment system with surround sound speakers, and high-speed broadband Internet access.
Connelly said long-staying guests are expected to comprise 65 percent of their guests. Foreigners are also seen to represent 60 to 65 percent of the total, he added.
Jacinto Ng Jr., director of the Ng family-owned Quantuvis Resources Corp. said some P3 billion has been spent for the construction of the state of the art building, which uses 35 percent less energy for airconditioning.
About 50 percent of the project cost was raised from the debt market while the 50 percent was equity from Quantuvis, he said.
Ng said the building will also house restaurants including French restaurant Le Souffle, Asia United Bank, and the offices of Extraordinary Group, Republic Biscuit Corp., and Earth + Style group of companies.
He said Quantuvis, which has a land bank of 150 hectares, is planning to build more hotels in Metro Manila and resorts in the provinces.
“As we evolve into the leisure and hospitality industries, we maintain our vision of becoming the leading brand in the market place. For our landmark property and luxury serviced apartments, we wanted a management company that shares both our vision and our corporate values, and we’re delighted to find these in Oakwood," said Alfred Reyes, chief operating officer of Quantuvis.
Steve Selcer, president and chief operating officer of Oakwood, cited the importance of Manila in the company's international portfolio because of its expanding role in the global community.
“The addition of this property further marks Oakwood’s commitment to meeting the needs and demands of our global customers. We are honored to partner with Quantuvis Resources Corporation, the owning company of Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila,” Selcer said in a statement.
Oakwood is the global leader and provider of furnished and serviced apartments. It has 3,500 Oakwood associates worldwide, with nearly 15,000 apartments, and more than 300 network partners.
An additional 23 properties are scheduled to open by 2013 in strategic locations across Asia Pacific.
Connelly said more Oakwood facilities may be constructed in the Philippines, particularly in Makati and Fort Bonifacio, within the next two to three years. Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila was conceptualized and master-planned by Architects Esteban Y. Tan and Gavino L. Tan Partners, while interior design specifics were prepared and implemented by Leandro V. Locsin Partners. The façade and interior design concepts were made in collaboration with the Taiwan-based architectural group of C.Y. Lee and Partners, responsible for the concept behind Asia’s tallest structure, Taipei 101.
