November 27, 2008 06:52 PM Thursday [ journal.com.ph ]
By: Efren Montano
THE Philippines’ very own Subterranean River National Park in Palawan may yet top the worldwide search of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
But we have to choose which among the four nominated tourist havens which are in the top 10 would be our national entry for the search whose winners will be known by 2010.
Our topnotcher tourist destination will be declared the Philippines national entry by end of Dec. 31 this year.
So far, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National River Park or the St. Paul underground river has dominated the search along with Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea at 4th, Chocolate Hills at 5th ,and the Mayon Volcano in Albay at 10th place.
It may yet be a toss-up between the underground river and the Tubbataha reef for our national entry, but organizers are not closing the chances for the other two destinations to make it by end this year.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the inclusion of the four Philippine tourist havens opens the Philippines to bigger opportunities for more visitors from all over the world especially amid the global financial crises, as he encourages his countrymen to cast their votes, and visit the tourist sites to help them choose our national entry and the champion.
The 8.2-kilometer underground river features limestone karst mountain landscape and is reputed as world’s longest underground river, and declared as World Heritage Site. It includes formation of stalactites and stalagmites.
The Tubbataha on the other hand which is a UNESCO World heritage Site is a marine sanctuary for over 1,000 endangered species like manta rays, lionfish, tortoise, clownfish and sharks.
DOT officials are wary of a slowdown in tourist arrivals depending on the adverse impact of the global financial meltdown, but they remain confident of continuing tourist activity in the succeeding years to seal the 5 million tourist arrival target by 2010 especially owing to the New 7 Wonders of Nature search.
Tourism stakeholders, however, are more bullish with tourism activities in the Philippines, especially with eventual passage and signing into law of the tourism act by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
