Making waves

PICTURESQUE beaches. Teeming diverse marine life in and around the Philippine waters. Marvelous dive sites. A perfect getaway, more reasons to consider why “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
While we stay tuned at the disputed Scarborough Shoal (now on its second week of standoff), the Philippines veers away from the tension after being awarded as one of the world’s best dive destinations.
A few nautical miles south from the Scarborough Shoal lies what most snorkeling enthusiasts and diving aficionados call paradise.
Offering diving as one of its main attractions, the country remains as a sought-after tourism destination among the diving community and foreigners who visit.
The country has been ranked as one of the world’s must-see diving sites in the recently concluded Dive & Travel Awards 2012 held during the Marine Diving Fair in Tokyo, Japan.
This year, the Philippines was the only ASEAN country among the top three dive destinations awardees together with Maldives and Palau.
Since its participation in 2000, the country has been consecutively included in the top five “Best Overseas Destinations,” and consistently awarded as one of the top ten “Dream Destinations.”
The Marine Diving Fair 2012, one of the largest diving and beach resort exhibitions in Asia, attracts over 50,000 visitors annually. This year, the event showcased 200 exhibitors from 50 different countries, including the Philippines.
Philippine tourism chief Ramon Jimenez, who was at the event, said fair visitors went to see the booth to find out what makes diving “more fun” in the Philippines.
He also noted that the country affirmed its status as a must-see dive destination by raking in top placements in all four major award categories.
“Our partnership with the private sector dive tour operators has paid off nicely. We encourage more suppliers to keep raising the bar for service excellence to grow this market segment,” the tourism chief said.
Palawan’s Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea is arguably the country’s most notable diving site.
Earlier this month, the marine park was named the world’s eight best dive site by CNN’s travel news website CNNGo.com.
The premier diving haven is also considered as the world’s richest “bio-geographic area.” Declared as such in 1988, the Tubbataha Reef covers 33,200 hectares and contains what is believed to be the world’s largest grouping of marine life per unit area.
The CNNGo’s list of best dive destinations in the planet also included The Canyons in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.
“Schools of spotted and ribbon sweetlips, shiny trevallies and weird-looking batfish make up the scene at this first-rate dive site. There’s also an explosion of coral and plant life including beautiful delicate gorgonian sea fans and hollow barrel sponges; look inside for critters lurking within,” the CNN told about The Canyons, which ranked 45th.
Despite the feeble global market, political instability and some weak areas in its domestic economy, and the conflict with China, the Philippines tourism industry remains attractive, unscathed and a bargain.
With the ongoing assertive and collaborative efforts of our travel industry, increased patronage for our other islands is not far behind.
The people who coined the phrase “Life is a beach,” must have thought of Filipinos.
With a coastline of 16,335 miles (almost twice that of the United States), the country has the third longest combined coastlines in the planet. From the rainy seas of Batanes to the scenic isles of Jolo, life’s truly a beach in the Philippines.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek April 25-27, 2012 Sec A pg. 6)