Biyahero

This is the article they were referring to from National Geographic. Inserted are the links to article describing the Philippines:

The 25 Best New Trips for 2010
Text by Claire Martin

Now more than ever, travelers want their dollars to do more—for others, for the planet, for themselves. At least that's what we found while searching for the best trips of 2010. From wolf-tracking in Slovakia to rafting a forbidden river in Bhutan, here are 25 brand-new adventures, all of them just right for right now.

Bhutan || Outfitter: Bio Bio Expeditions
Bolivia || Outfitter: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Botswana || Outfitter: Explore Inc
Canada - B.C. || Outfitter: Monashee Adventure Tours
Canada - Manitoba || Outfitter: Earthwatch Institute
Chile + Argentina || Outfitter: Boojum Expeditions
Costa Rica || Outfitter: Wildland Adventures
France || Outfitter: Discover France
Iceland || Outfitter: Explorers' Corner
Ireland || Outfitter: Country Walkers
Kenya || Outfitter: Geographic Expeditions
Laos || Outfitter: Asia Transpacific Journeys
Madagascar || Outfitter: Kumuka Worldwide
Montserrat || Outfitter: Green Monkey Dive Shop
Nepal || Outfitter: Journeys International
New Zealand || Outfitter: Active New Zealand
Peru || Outfitter: Adventure Life Journeys
Philippines || Outfitter: Wilderness Travel - http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com … ips-text/5


Slovakia || Outfitter: Biosphere Expeditions
Sri Lanka || Outfitter: Access Trips
Tanzania + Kenya || Outfitter: Tropical Ice Limited
Tonga || Outfitter: Wilderness Travel
U.S. - California || Outfitter: Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides
U.S. - Colorado || Outfitter: Western Spirit Cycling
U.S. - Idaho + Montana || Outfitter: ROW Adventures

Tourists Grew by 17% to 5.2M in Q3
By Kristine L. Alave, Philippine Daily Inquirer, First Posted 02:35:00 12/20/2009

MANILA, Philippines—The third quarter, considered the lean season in the local tourism industry, exceeded expectations as tourist arrivals grew by 17 percent to 5.2 million visitors, the Department of Tourism said.

In its recent quarterly report, the DoT said new tourism destinations, facilities and increased frequency of flights to the regions boosted the influx of local and foreign visitors to major destinations. The increase in the meetings, conferences and incentive travel market in destinations like Palawan also contributed to the hefty growth in visitor volume, the tourism department said.

Cebu was the most visited destination with 1.24 million visitors, posting a growth rate of 1.8 percent vis-à-vis the previous year’s volume of 1.21 million.

It was followed by Camarines Sur, fast becoming known for its beaches and surfing sites, with 1.23 million tourists. Domestic travelers to the province grew by 163 percent, while foreign arrivals rose by 29 percent, the report said.

Bohol and Puerto Princesa also showed improved tourist volumes.

Travelers from the Northeast Asian market accounted for the bulk of total foreign tourists at 59 percent, with Chinese and Taiwanese arrivals posting shares of 23 percent and 16 percent, respectively, the tourism department said.

During the first nine months, the volume of domestic tourists increased by 21 percent, while foreign tourists grew by 2.7 percent. This performance positioned the industry for greater growth in the fourth quarter.

One of the best 25

Last month, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that the National Geographic Magazine had included the Philippines in its list of “25 Best New Travel Destinations in the World in 2010.”

The magazine had cited the Philippines’ ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity as key reasons for visiting the country.

The list, published in the magazine’s November 2009 Adventure issue, is directed at “travelers who want their money to do more—for others, for the planet and for themselves.”

According to the magazine, the Philippines has been largely ignored because of “bad PR.”

“While it harbors as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet, the nation sees only a fraction of the visitors of nearby Thailand,” it said.

Private tourism companies said they expect 2010 to be a banner year for the country’s travel market as the world economy is on its way to recovery.

Republic Act 9593 or the National Tourism Act of 2009, which took effect last month, is expected to boost the country’s campaign to attract more visitors next year.

Tourism is key

RA 9593 declared tourism as an engine of investment, employment, growth and national development. It also strengthened the DoT and its attached agencies.

“Tourism is the key economic driver of the country. High tourism means high production; a robust tourism industry translates to a robust economy. [RA 9593] is a tool to make sure infrastructure support is put in place and to identify priority areas of development,” said former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, who was elected presiding officer in the recently held First Tourism Congress.

“The whole idea to streamline the operations of the tourism department will give more ‘feet’ to the country’s marketing and promotional efforts,” Gabor noted.

The tourism industry faced numerous challenges this year. The country had fewer tourists caused by global recession, the A(H1N1) scare, devastating typhoons and insurgency in Mindanao.

Rediscovering North Luzon through ‘adventure tourism’
By Izah Morales, INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- With good roads and accessible transportation, there are now more reasons to visit and rediscover Northern Luzon.

The week-long “Lakbay Norte” (Travel North) tour took a team of local media and bloggers to nine different places covering nearly 1,800 kilometers.

With its thrust to promote economic development through tourism, the North Philippines Visitors Bureau together with its nine members and corporate partners hosted the tour in Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Baguio City, Pangasinan, Subic Bay, Tarlac, Pampanga and Clark Free Port Zone.

“Tourism is becoming very competitive. The north (Luzon) used to be a premier destination. The North Luzon Expressway serves as a gateway,” said Renie Ticzon, NPVB president and Manila North Tollways Corporation vice-president for marketing.

The tour was never short of adventure since the first stop in Cagayan Valley, where we climbed 187 steps to reach the famous Callao Caves in Peñablanca, crawled inside the Sierra Cave, and paddled along the Pinacanauan River in a kayak.

On the second day, we hopped on a bus passing by century-old churches in Iguig, Alcala, Lal-lo, Camalanuigan, and Pamplona. Each municipality gave us a warm welcome through music, dance and sumptuous food. Hospitality is truly at the hearts of the Cagayanons.

“The private sector is really important in the promotion. That’s why we really encourage them to have these kinds of activities and we (at Department of Tourism) give our full support,” DoT regional director Blesilda Diwa said in an interview with INQUIRER.net.

The partnership between the DoT and private sector complement each other, said NPVB executive director Vince Araneta. “The private sector is market-oriented while the DoT is output-oriented,” he said.

From Cagayan Valley, the group headed to La Paz, Ilocos Norte for a wild ride in a 4 x 4 and a thrilling slide on the sand dunes at daybreak. Situated west of Laoag, La Paz Sand Dunes, popularly known as Desert of the North, is located in the coastal village of La Paz. Sandboarding (roughly similar to snowboarding) is a relatively new attraction in the region.

La Union, meanwhile, is a known destination for surfing and we got splashed and washed out while taking surfing lessons conducted by surfers from the Billabong San Juan Surf School.

From surfing, we went further north to Baguio City, still acknowledged as the country’s summer capital, living up to its billing by welcoming us with a temperature of 12.5 degrees Celsius. The famous city is celebrating its centennial year in August

But more than the cool weather in Baguio, the city’s tourism officials are also hoping to attract tourists to surrounding towns in Benguet province.

“We wanted Baguio to become a hub for an adventure with style. Baguio City is where adventure begins,” said Baguio Conventions and Visitors’ Bureau executive director Amboy Guevara Jr.

An hour away from Baguio is the Ambuklao Dam in Bokod, Benguet, where the group fortunately saw the water being released into the gigantic spillway flowing towards the Agno River. During the 1950s, the dam used to be the highest and biggest in the Far East, measuring 129 meters in height and 452 meters in length.

The tail-end of the tour took us to Pangasinan for a visit to the Hundred Islands National Park to witness present conservation efforts for giant clams. The last day was spent horse-back riding at the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga.