Clark goes to Puerto Princesa

CLARK – PUERTO PRINCESA CONVERGENCE NOW IN PLACE

The much-awaited convergence program between Clark and Palawan took shape when the Department of Tourism – Central Luzon region in cooperation with the Southern Tagalog region led by Regional Director Louella Jurilla took the initiative to form a sales team that conducted a familiarization tour of the exciting natural wonders of Puerto Princesa City on June 28 – July 1, 2012.

This was the announcement made by Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico in a press statement issued recently.

The sales mission, that was attended by nineteen (19) travel agents, hotel and restaurant managers and a transport operator, was warmly welcomed by the city tourism officer of the city, Ms. Rebecca V. Labit, at the airport.

The highlight of the trip was the holding of a special dinner reception hosted by no less than the world-renowned city chief executive, Mayor Edward Hagedorn himself, who made his announcement on the annual tree-planting project dubbed as Feast of the Forest on June 30 at the Brgy. Irawan watershed in the same city. The hosted dinner was likewise attended by a host of prominent personalities like Mayor Ed Pamintuan of Angeles City, environmentalist and health buff Cory Quirino, Sonia Mendoza as the chairman of Mother Earth Foundation, and the winners of the Miss Earth Philippines beauty pageant.

The delegation’s first stop was the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPUR) – a world heritage site inscribed by UNESCO and recently awarded as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. An equally spectacular part of the tour program was a tour of the mangrove forests of Sabang Mangrove and Maoyan River – both products of Mayor Hagedorn’s community-based sustainable tourism project that enriches the quality of life of the host community thru travel and tourism while at the same time enhancing the quality of the environment thru environmental conservation and guardianship. The tour is highlighted by a brief yet educational teach-in on the positive effects of mangrove reforestation, a sumptuous treat of local delicacies and a rendition of native music on a floating restaurant.

The delegation conducted the traditional on-site inspection of tourism-related properties such as the Taraw Beach Resort, Sheridan Beach Resort, Daluyon Mountain and Beach Resort, Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort, Hotel Centro, and Asturias Hotel.

The most important part of the 4-day event was the conduct of the business-matching or B2B session on July 1 when both the visiting tour operators and property managers managed to hold a table-top encounter with their local counterparts in the city for an exchange of business ideas and tour programs in support of the effort to boost travel thru Clark airport. Today, Air Asia and AirPhil Express now operate flights to major destinations in the country including Puerto Princesa and Davao. Mayor Hagedorn took time to be with the delegation as guest of honor and speaker.

For her part, Director Jurilla expressed confidence that the Clark / North Philippines sales mission would eventually produce positive results for both destinations even as she admonished Ms. Labit to work hard for the full completion of the connectivity between the two destinations by engaging the members of the city tourism council in a reciprocal familiarization trip to Clark and its environs before the month is over.

The delegation took their flights via Air Asia and AirPhil Express on pax account while the properties in Puerto hosted the meals and accommodation.

The sales mission was attended by the following: Ties That Travel, Global Access Travel, Amega Travel, Majika Travel, Pentravel, Metro Angeles Travel, LQM Travel, DNC Travel, Riser K Travel, Trance Travel, Hotel Stotsenberg, EuroAsia Hotel, Marlim Mansions Hotel, Yu Fu In Japanese Restaurant, and EuropCar. (CTO)