Brochure - Medical Tourism

Here's a short blog on Medical Tourism. Its a brochure (or primer?) on Medical Tourism in the Philippines made by the Department of Tourism. The country is a bit late-comer compared to its other Asian neighbors. But hey, there is always time to catch up!

Open publication - Free publishing - More clinic

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!....

Water Glide in Lila, Bohol

In my tourism advocacy,  I always say that one of the easiest things to do in the industry is PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. Just look for that unique definer, the most interesting story you can dig out, and you can have that product!

Take a look at this waterway that was actually built as an irrigation canal in Lila, Bohol. The headwater comes from a spring and flows through more than a kilometer of concrete line. And guess what? The kids in the town are having a great time sliding with the water and having a most unforgettable time of their lives!

The last time I visited the area, the town mayor wanted to make this into a tourist attraction. The canal leads all the way to the beach area. Check this out! It should be very interesting to spend a few hours sliding through this attraction in the probins! 

Lila is less than an hour away from Tagbilaran City, going to the east.

Here's another interesting trivia on the town - When I was involved in marine mammal conservation programs (and there was no law yet banning the capture and killing of whales and dolphins in the country), the beaches of Lila used to be the place where captured marine mammals were slaughtered. Back in those days (up to mid 90's), if you walk on its beaches, you would see bones of big whales and dolphins. We even dug up an entire jawbone of a Bryde's Whale! 

Of course, these days, the killing of marine mammals has stopped and they are slowly recovering in the more friendly waters of Bohol.

Mabua Beach in Surigao City

How do you enjoy the moment in the beach? In Mabua Beach in Surigao City, you can just sit on the pebbles and listen to the symphony of rolling waves and rocks. Of course, you can also have fun swimming and challenging the crashing waves.

Tourism Lecture Walks

I'm bringing my tourism advocacy to another level!

Called Tourism Lecture Walk, the activity is designed to enhance the knowledge and appreciation of tourism students in the Philippines.

You see, the tourism course in the country is experiencing exciting and at the same time a bit worrying growth. Tourism as a college degree has become a preferred path for many. The number of teachers could hardly cope up with the demand.

I figured that given what I know about a good number of destinations in the country, I could help enhance their learning by bringing out their classroom to the largest map of the Philippines - in Rizal Park. I've done some test groups and the feedback has been very encouraging!

The Rizal Park module will be for Domestic Tourism.

Im still thinking the best place for a lecture walk for Ecotourism. Possible candidates are the pocket gardens of Rizal Park, the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City, or the La Mesa Ecopark. I guess this module will have to wait a bit.

Here are the details of tourism lecture walk for Domestic Tourism:

1. Designed for - tourism students; those with other courses and non-students can also attend
2. Rate - Php300 for students; Php500 for non-students
3. Minimum - 10 people; Maximum - around 40 people (roughly 1 class size)
4. Duration - 2 hours
5. Schedule - per appointment; Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
6. Time - Choice of 9:00 - 11:00 A.M. or 3:00 - 5:00 PM
7. Meeting Place - DOT (Department of Tourism) steps, in front of Agrifina Circle (the giant statue of Lapu-lapu), Rizal Park, Manila

How to contact me - Text - +639274104151 or email me - pinoytourist@gmail.com

A Look at Surigao City

The face of tourism has been changing over the years. Slowly and consistently gaining speed, local government units are understanding and appreciating the role of a well-managed tourism industry in the development of their areas.

Got the chance to be the resource person for a seminar in developing a tourism master plan for Surigao City, the capital of the province of Surigao del Norte just a few days ago. The good thing is I do not have to write any portion of the master plan. I just had to give them inputs and ideas that they can use in crafting the document. The city government has appointed a technical working group composed of a very good mix of both government and private personalities. I am now hoping that they will do a good job for their city and their people.

And in the middle of a busy event, I managed to sneak in into my schedule a few tourist attractions and had a (literally) great taste of culinary out-of-control escapades!

I actually missed a lot like the islands and beaches, some rivers and caves, plus the whirlpool that can easily be seen from one of the island villages. That should be a very interesting site to see. I have to keep that in my checklist the next time I visit the city.

Day-asan Floating Village
The Day-asan Floating Village is a great revelation! In fact, I had a hunch that there is something wrong with the name (which Ricky Amores, the local tour operator who brought me to the place, agreed). Its definitely more than a floating village. One can take a boat ride in the calm and clear waters that formed like lagoons flanked by mangroves. Jump into the water and snorkel, or have a picnic lunch in any of the pocket beaches. At dawn or dusk, the place is definitely a photographer's delight.

One of these houses is an ideal stop for lunch prepared by the homeowner.
This can make the experience of the tourists and visitors more memorable.

A bridge that makes Day-asan an interesting place to visit.

Come at dawn or dusk and your camera will never fail you.

My point and shoot camera, together with very low light could not capture an event I witnessed when the high tide was coming in. The waters appeared to be boiling and my wild imagination made me think of  thousands of jumping and frantically swimming fishes disturbing the calmness of the waters. Had a great moment there!

Mabua Pebble Beach

This is something else. I was actually not that excited to see a pebble beach since I knew that it won't be that attractive and swimming might be next to impossible (only people with thick, calloused feet can walk barefoot in pebbly beaches, believe me).

But I was in a big surprise. The whole place was not only scenic, But I was really, really tempted to jump into the water after seeing the kids having great fun in the waves.

Sheds line the beach area of Mabua

Choose your "panghilod" Other countries are just discovering
 the wonders of "pumice rock" for beauty and health purposes.
That's old news to the Pinoys :D

The tourism technical working group that will draft the tourism master plan, together with Mayor Ernesto Matugas (seated, 4th from left) and the city tourism officer and FB friend, Rosely Merlin (seated, in red)

Mineral Rock Museum

I was pleasantly surprised when we took a few minutes to visit a rock and Surigao heritage museum.  Seeing the private museum and talking with the people involved in this, you could easily conclude that this is a real labor of love.

Surigao's history is very rich and yet, relatively
unknown to many. On display are some of
the secondary burial jars discovered in the region.

A crab fossil!

Rock of all sizes, colors, and value

These "wooden pans" brought modest riches
to the local gold panners in the region

It was a pleasant surprise to meet facebook friends who take care of the museum - Jun Ramirez (2nd from right) and Jose Karlo Minglana (right)

Places to Stay

For a place like Surigao City, you might think that it could hardly offer rooms beyond the economy range?... Wrong. 

I'm glad that I was billeted in Almont Hotel. Its definitely a very good crib with spacious rooms and a great view of the sea.  The staff were always ready to greet me with a smile. Only, I could not understand their Visayan language which I later found out to be a bit unique.

Its a few minutes from the city proper which should attract those seeking quiet while on vacation.

I also got to take a peak of some accommodations facilities in the city proper:

Tavern Hotel is the high-end hotel in the city.

Fiesta Resort is quite interesting. It has a large pool
and designed like a Florida resort you see in
American movies. This is located in the Mabua beach area.

Food!

Obviously, this is where I really got crazy. Surigao City is where I tasted some of the freshest and really affordable meals one can wish for. Had kilawin and sashimi almost every night in places like Island Seafood Restaurant, Ocean Bounties, Tavern Hotel, and of course, my nest for a few days, Cafe Maharlika Restaurant in Almont.

My food adventure was capped by a hot cup of brewed coffee in a real coffee house (because it has a real espresso machine :D) called Bean, Green and Cream. That's for the coffee, tea, and the gelato/ice cream)

Angel in disguise.... the devil you know.... 

It takes a good barista to claim you're a real coffee house.

The chicken and the pig have been married (again!) in Surigao City's version of fried chicken and crispy pata. Had a good brunch on my way to the airport.

Uhhh........ scary.... a few bites won't hurt.....

As a last frame. Let me show you a fruit that I haven't seen in many years. A bunch of rattan fruits being peddled by this kid.