The Sound of Music in Manila!

Resorts World Manila is showing the way in the Philippines that entertainment tourism should be treated very seriously in this country.

Debuted only last October 15, the Filipino performers are proving once again that theater can easily be done....if..... only...... we have the venues......

You can see the weblink of the musical here.

When I was teaching Tourism Planning, I kept asking my students to think of the Asian country that would have the best chance of developing a theater-based tourism product, that is, if we only consider talent and immense flexibility of the actors. Hands down, and with no emotional bias, they can only think of the Philippines.  Alas! we could hardly develop that product based on talents alone! Two-thirds of them actors and musicians are scattered all over the world.

 I remember when Ms. Saigon was shown in Manila many years ago, the hotels near the Cultural Center of the Philippines were filled with tourists who came to the country just to watch the musical. Its as clear as the sunny skies - bring a well-loved musical or program, mix it with great talents, and put them in a good venue..... ahhh.... the ending is so predictable.

I'm hoping that Resorts World Manila would succeed in this endeavor and let the country's tourism industry (and the government!) see the great potential of developing entertainment tourism. Crossing my fingers here.

Oh, about the musical (he he..). It was great! My only regret was I was so far away from the stage that I could not see the facial expressions of the actors. Plus, taking photos and videos was not allowed. I had to go guerilla-type by covering my small camera's LCD, make some quick draws and praying that I get some decent shots (obviously, I did not get any :D). Now, you are warned - cameras are not allowed inside (I don't know about cel phones with 8 megapixel cameras.....:D )

Below are some of the guerilla-photos (read - real crappy, as in, asa pa). I hate deleting them without making use of them first. Talk about visual pollution, lol!....