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The Philippines Weekly Newspaper for
International Readers since 1981 |
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Vol.
XXVI No. 40 Oct. 14 - 20, 2007 |
www.whatson-expat.com.ph |
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European Divers Ready to
“Take the Plunge” in RP Waters
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By Richard A. Ramos
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Niche marketing has paid off handsomely for the Philippines in recent years as the tourism industry struck gold in the Korean, Japanese and Chinese markets. Record-setting arrivals and new direct flights have become common occurrences ever since the Department of Tourism has opted to focus its resources on chosen markets with maximum yield. With eyes trained on the lucrative dive markets situated in the Western Hemisphere, chances indeed look bright that the Europeans may discover and rediscover the vast underworld treasures of the Philippines. |
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Destination: Iligan City, Lanao del Norte |
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Iligan City in Lanao del Norte is hailed as
the City of Majestic Falls as it is host to
one of the most beautiful natural
attractions in the country. Read more about
this Mindanao treasure on
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Get the Inside Scoop
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AFTER YEARS
of absence, the European dive market has
sent strong signals that they are more than
ready once again to “test the waters” of the
many wondrous dive sites in the Philippines.
Though the Philippines hardly ranks among
the most preferred Asian destinations for
Europeans in general, the country’s choice
dive sites have propelled the Philippines to
the topmost spot among European divers.
This was confirmed by the Department of
Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Eduardo
Jarque who related that the Philippines does
rank high among the top dive sites in the
world due to its rich diversity, colorful
marine life and abundance in numbers
throughout the archipelago.
He likewise added that the Philippines will
soon experience its first wave of European
divers in the next few weeks as the DOT goes
into overdrive in its efforts to lure back
the lucrative European dive market to local
shores. “The DOT Manila office will host a
Dive Festival for 75 top European divers on
November 20-22. They will stay overnight in
Cebu and travel to Bohol and Oriental Negros
to see for themselves the quality of the
dive sites in the Visayas region,” Jarque
related during the weekly 888 Media Forum
held presently at the Waterfront Cebu City
Hotel & Casino.
Paris and Moscow
Jarque added that the event was a result of
DOT’s recent participation in two travel
exhibitions held in Paris and Moscow. The
Paris event, dubbed Topresa, was the biggest
travel fair in France and drew countless
visitors to the Philippine booth.
Further highlighting the Philippines was the
previous airing of a 13-week reality
television show featuring 60 people staying
in Callanta, Palawan for three months.
Viewership amounted to over eight million
hits, resulting in immense publicity for the
country, Jarque declared proudly.
He also said that a Filipino delegation will
be going back to Paris in January 2008 to
display the country’s rich underworld life
once again since the Philippines was chosen
as the top dive destination. At least 10
exhibitors from Cebu have confirmed their
participation to the event. Also, when what
used to be that Manila was the only place
highlighted in previous fairs, the
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