Boracay in Top 20 list for Chinese tourists

BORACAY Island in Malay, Aklan is among the 20 most popular destinations for Chinese travelers, the world’s largest tourism spender, based on data from travel site TripAdvisor.

This is despite the country’s territorial dispute with China that has resulted in some unfavorable travel advisory against the Philippines.

TripAdvisor released a list of the top 20 most popular outbound destinations for mainland Chinese travelers, based on July and August 2013 figures on daodao.com, a highly customized version of TripAdvisor designed specifically for Chinese travelers, based on a statement released from Singapore on Tuesday.

In July and August 2013, millions of unique visitors came to daodao.com to research outbound destinations, representing an increase of over 250 percent compared to the same period last year.

Boracay, known for its powdery white beach and wide range of accommodations and activities, ranked 16th on the list beating Kyoto, Kota Kinabalu, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur but trailing Hong Kong, Phuket, Taiwan, Bangkok and Paris.

The data also showed a 360-percent rise in online inquiries on Boracay for the period in review. Hong Kong topped the list of popular destinations among Chinese, followed by Phuket and Taiwan.

The data also showed that within the top 20 destinations, Kyoto (Japan), Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), Hanoi (Vietnam) and Jeju Island (South Korea) exhibited the highest year-on-year growth at high triple digits.

Outside of the top 20, destinations on the rise with over four times year-on-year growth users include Siem Reap (Cambodia), Pattaya (Thailand), Sabah (Malaysia) and Berlin (Germany).

In 2012, China exceeded the US and Germany to become the world’s largest source market for outbound tourism by expenditure. As such, capturing a share of this growing market has become a top priority for tourism boards and travel suppliers alike.

According to the China Tourism Academy, the Chinese outbound travel market is estimated to reach 94 million trips in 2013, up 15 percent year-on-year. These travellers are estimated to spend $117.6 billion on their trips, up 20 percent year-on-year.

“This new generation of Chinese outbound travelers is making their own decisions about where to go, where to stay and what to do by doing their own research online, going beyond the old stereotype of big buses of group tourists,” said Lily Cheng, managing director at TripAdvisor China.

“These travelers are savvy, sophisticated and do make an effort to understand and respect the local culture by doing a lot of online research before their trip.

As they explore outside of mainland China, they are deliberately seeking out websites that have an established international presence to find more deals and more content,” Cheng said.

The top 20 most popular destinations based on daodao.com and the year-on-year growth  for July and August 2013 are as follows:
1. Hong Kong, China (50 percent)
2. Phuket, Thailand (250 percent)
3. Taiwan (350 percent)
4. Bangkok, Thailand (270 percent)
5. Paris, France (360 percent)
6. Dubai, UAE (210 percent)
7. Macau, China (50 percent)
8. Seoul, South Korea (180 percent)
9. Singapore (170 percent)
10. Bali, Indonesia (310 percent)
11. Rome, Italy (180 percent)
12. Chiang Mai, Thailand (180 percent)
13. New York, United States (280 percent)
14. London, United Kingdom (120 percent)
15. Jeju Island, South Korea (570 percent)
16. Boracay, Philippines (360 percent)
17. Kyoto, Japan (580 percent)
18. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (550 percent)
19. Hanoi, Vietnam (510 percent)
20. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (190 percent)

Mt. Apo Octo Trek set

THE annual Octo Trek to the country’s highest peak Mt. Apo is now back. “Registration is now open for this event billed as The 12th Paradise: One For Fun Kidapawan Octo Trek 2013,” said Kidapawan City Tourism Officer Joey Recimilla.

Mt. Apo has been closed for climbing from July to September. This month-long activity is held in coordination with the city government under Mayor Joseph Evangelista and the Kidapawan City Tourism Association headed by Dr. Christita Do.

All trekkers must register at the Kidapawan City Tourism Office and are required to submit a certificate of physical and good health and a legitimate identification card.

The climbing fee is P750 for foreigners, P500 for locals and P400 for students. “Strictly no guide, no climb policy,” Recimilla said.
A guide’s fee is P600 to P800 for locals and P800 to P1,500 for foreigners. Porters are also available at P350 per day per head.

There is a transportation fee of P85 per head. Payments to the guides and porters can be paid directly to them. “No night trek is allowed.

The existing policy also includes ‘Zero Basura’ which means no cellophane and no  bottles are permitted,” he said. A fine of P2,000 will be slapped for those caught breaking the policies. For more inquiry, call the Kidapawan City Tourism Office at (064) 2783344.

Mga kakaibang isda makikita sa Las Farolas living museum

PATOK na pasyalan ngayon sa mga taga-Metro Manila ang Las Farolas (The Fish World) sa Frontera Drive, Ortigas Ave., Pasig City.

Malapit lang ito sa Tiendesitas at madaling puntahan. Bukod sa mga turista ay malimit din itong pinupuntahan ng mga estudyante sa kanilang mga educational field trip.

Tampok sa koleksyon ng Las Farolas ang mga tinatawag na “River Monsters” o mga kakaibang isda na nabubuhay sa mga ilog at lawa. Lahat ng mga isda dito ay nanggaling sa ibang bansa.

Isa sa mga kinagigiliwan ng mga bata ay ang  mala-halimaw at nakakatindig-balahibong Wels Catfish. Kilala rin sa tawag na Sheatfish, ang Wels Catfish (scientific name: Silurus glanis) ay isa sa pinakamalaking catfish sa mundo.

Carnivorous ang Wels Catfish at kumain umano ito ng tao na nilunok nito nang buo. Matatagpuan ang mga ito sa central, southern, at eastern Europe, malapit sa Baltic at Caspian Seas.

Ang Wels Catfish ay isang fresh at brackish water fish na walang kaliskis. Malapad ang ulo nito at malawak ang bunganga. Lumalaki ito na hanggang 2.2 metro (7 ft, 3 in) at tumitimbang ng hanggang 65 kg (140 lbs).

Ang Wels Catfish ay nabubuhay hanggang 30 taon. Bukod sa mga isda sa aquarium ay  malawak din ang pasilidad ng Las Farolas. Mayroong mga tindahan kung saan makakabili ng mga exotic freshwater fishes at aquarium accessories.

Ang mga tindahan ay pinatatakbo ng mga negosyanteng may produktong de-kalidad at  abot-kaya ng bulsa. Ilan sa mga tindahan dito ay ang Mojo’s Aquatic Escape ni Jojo Velasco, Acorin Petshop ni Edmar Acorin, Primo Aquatics Trading ni Joseph Cabral, Dennis Hipolito’s Trading, L.A.B.’s Pet Essentials ni Lodeth Avila, Joy-Joy Petshop ni Bernard Cenizal at Fishaholics ni Antonio Baldo. Narito rin ang Photo Kings ni Armando Mercado (souvenir photos) at Y-Fi Corporation (souvenir items).

Ang mga tindahan ay bukas mula 9 a.m. hanggang 7 p.m. mula Lunes hanggang Biyernes at 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. naman tuwing Sabado, Linggo at piesta opisyal.

Para sa karagdagang impormasyon tungkol sa mga tindahan, tumawag sa 571-7634 at 571-7635. Bisitahin din ang  www.lasfarolas.com..