The National Geographic Adventure Magazine has included the Philippines in the list of 25 Best New Trips for 2010.  The article noted that the Philippines has as many islands as the Carribean and has many spectacular reefs but only a fraction of tourists visit the country compared to Thailand. All this due to all the negative publicity.

However, an American travel company has discovered the potential of the Philippines and has organized  tours that brings tourist to the scale the heights of the Cordilleras and reach the depths of one of the world’s most bio-diverse marine environment in the island of Cabilao in Bohol. This trip costs $3,300 for a 12-day trip.

I think the efforts of Sec. Ace Durano in promoting the Philippines is slowly paying off. I like the direction he has for Philippine tourism and he has a clear vision and grasp of the industry.

If foreigners are paying thousands of dollars just to visit our country, why don’t we visit the different tourist destinations in our country too? If only we have an appreciation of our country we can help in boosting local tourism. As what Secretary Durano is fond of saying, may trabaho sa turismo. Indeed, tourism can be a big industry for us only if we know how to tap our resources.

There are so many reasons to travel around the Philippinnes. We have diverse culture in our 7,107 islands. So many food to taste, so many sights to see and so many adventures to try. Explore our different provinces and spread the word.