Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 9 DESTINATION Philippines INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS: +11.3% TO 5.97 MILLION IN 2016 TOP MARKETS: UNITED STATES, JAPAN, CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA Island – with a 9% share. Some of the country's biggest conglomerates, among them the San Miguel group (SMC), Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, have all expressed interest in building a new airport to serve Metro Manila, a nod to tourism's potential. But it will be the Philippine government that will spearhead the development programme. Transportation Secretary family-owned restaurants and impossible-to-find eateries down unmarked lanes and up narrow flights of stairs. WHAT TO EAT: More than 'meats' the eye Boasting more than just the much-loved lechon (an entire spit-roasted pig that chef Anthony Bourdain, on a visit to Cebu, WHERE TO GO: Manila, a place for big-city lovers Despite the first impressions of traffic congestion and inescapable neighbourhoods of great poverty, this is a good place to spend a few days to acclimatise and explore the heart and the political and economic centre of the country. Located on the island of Luzon (the largest in the archipelago and also the name given to one of the three main island groups), Manila is crazy, chaotic and vast. Big-city lovers will find Manila a multilayered showcase of the Philippines' history with its melding of Spanish, Chinese and American cultures with early Malay ancestry. Technically, 16 cities and one municipality make up what is officially known as Metro Manila. But the good news is that for the most part, the main attractions are generally found within Manila proper. You can walk your way through a chapter of the capital's history in busy Binondo, the world's oldest Chinatown, in the company of the amiable Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks, himself of Chinese heritage. While listening to stories of the country's Chinese citizens, who today account for five percent of the population, our small group sampled delicious Asian specialties in small, This 7,107-island nation promises an experience that is much more, and enticingly different than its neighbours in the South China Sea region, writes Patricia Schultz, who was a guest of the Philippine Department of Tourism and Tourism Promotions Board, which hosted the Travel Blog Exchange Asia Pacific conference where she was the keynote speaker. Western head, Latino heart, Asian soul Chinatown in Binondo Manila. Photo Credit: iStockphoto/artran More hotel rooms Hotel growth is another key development that will fuel growth, according to DOT. All eyes are on an eight- square- kilometre property along Manila Bay called Entertainment City, a Las Vegas-style integrated casino resort complex. Two casinos are already operating in the complex – City of Dreams and Solaire Resort & Casino – while Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment, Inc. is building its 44-hectare, US$2.4-billion Okada Manila casino resort. Entertainment City's latest addition opened in March this year. Wanted: Long-term Growth There is little doubt that the Philippines is positioned for growth. What it needs now is some serious planning, according to the government's chief planner, National Economic and Development Authority secretary Ernesto Pernia. In a recent media briefing, Pernia said getting to know who the tourists are and what they want in their vacation is key to unlocking the country's full tourism potential. He said accurate and timely tourism statistics are critical to determining the exact contribution of tourism which, in turn, will lead to effective policy research and development of Philippine tourism. Pernia is batting for a tourism summit that will include other government agencies like Budget and Trade and Industry to help ensure long- term growth. Fountain at Okada Manila. Arthur Tugade announced last May that it was scrapping a private sector offer for the upgrade of Clark International Airport in Pampanga, 45 minutes north of Metro Manila. Instead, the government will undertake the project itself, ostensibly to avoid possible delays that Tugade said may arise from litigations by losing bidders. "The plan is to develop the terminals at Clark International Airport knowing fully well that at present it has two state-of-the-art runways," he said. "The target for the development of this terminal in Clark is two years to two-and-a-half years," the official said during the World Economic Forum in Cambodia in May. The policy statement augurs well for Philippine carriers. "We really need a new airport… regardless of location as long as it is near Manila. We just need an additional airport," Philippine Airlines (PAL) president Jaime Bautista said. Without a new airport for Metro Manila, he warned that the "growth of the industry will be stymied". declared "the best pig ever"), adobo (braised pork or chicken) and the mind-boggling balut (boiled duck embryo eaten from the shell – don't ask), the cuisine also includes the islands' abundance of fresh fish and seafood, coconut and tropical fruits. The Pinoys' love for long, abundant and frequent meals shared with family and friends accounts for how its moment in the spotlight might now be arriving. Bloomberg predicts that Filipino cuisine will dominate the food scene in 2017. Visitors to Manila now have a plethora of choices with the arrival of restaurants ranging from large and elegant to small and atmospheric. Chicken adobo. Photo Credit: iStockphoto/Alleko

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