By Jonas Reyes
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – With the help of bloggers, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region III are eyeing Chinese Taipei nationals to become the number one tourists to visit this premier Freeport and Central Luzon.
Chinese Taipei bloggers take photos of an Iguana during their visit at the Zoobic Safari on Friday. The SBMA and the DOT are pushing for the increase of Taiwanese tourists in Central Luzon in an effort to make tourist spots like Subic and Clark their primary destination in the country. (Jonas Reyes/ MANILA BULLETIN)
In a day tour of the Subic Bay Freeport, well-known Taiwanese bloggers were assisted by the DOT Region 3 and the SBMA on Friday, giving them a glimpse of the many tourist spots here. SBMA Chairman Atty. Wilma T. Eisma welcomed these bloggers before boarding a yacht for a bay cruise here.
“We have been blessed with many tourist attractions in Subic Bay Freeport, we are adamant of pushing the numbers of tourist arrival in the Freeport, and we want to use every possible means to entice tourists. And having bloggers experiencing firsthand the many tourism attractions here, we hope that they would convey the message to their fellow Chinese Taipei nationals,” Eisma said.
The visitors were accompanied by Region III Tourism Officer Marilou Pangilinan, who met them at the Clark International Airport with the first Taipei to Clark flight of AirAsia Philippines.
The group first started their tour at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) where they met with the SBMA tourism officials. The group then went to Zoobic Safari where they had a close encounter with tigers.
After their tiger tour, the group went to Ocean Adventure Marine Theme Park to visit the marine animals that reside there. The bloggers were awed at the sea lions’ enclosure as the animals gracefully swam inside their pool.
The group had an encounter with four bottlenose dolphins and viewed the feeding of blacktip reef sharks, including some of the small marine creatures that can only be found in the bottom of the sea.
The bloggers were treated to a sumptuous lunch at the Acea Subic Bay Resort. The area, known for holding international triathlon events, provided the bloggers a tour of the area. The tour included the viewing of luxurious rooms, pristine beach, a restaurant and beautiful swimming pools.
To cap the visit, the bloggers also treated to a bay cruise by The Lighthouse Marina Resort Marketing Director Zed Avecilla. The bloggers visited the mangrove forest, the Ilanin area, a view of the Grande Island, and The Lighthouse Marina Resort on board a yacht.
Pangilinan said that Chinese Taipei tourists have often used Clark Airport as their entry point to the Philippines, frequenting areas such as Bohol, Palawan, Cebu and Benguet, but with little or no knowledge of Central Luzon’s tourist spots.
She hopes that through these bloggers, tourists who are looking for new areas would consider Subic Bay Freeport Zone as one of their stops during their stay in the country. She added that Central Luzon has so much to offer, and that one cannot enjoy Subic Bay Freeport in just one day.