Greg Pierce asked:




The Philippines is considered one of the richest countries in terms of natural resources. It is composed of 7,107 islands and has a tropical environment that can be enjoyed by any tourist. It is a place where you can relax and enjoy all of its panoramic views, whether natural or man-made. It is known to the whole world that the country has some of the best tourist destinations. Some of these places may not be that grand or majestic, but they will be spectacular, nevertheless, even for local folks.

Enjoying the different destinations in the Philippines is easy and may be due to the fact that English is considered to be the second tongue. Considering that the country has over 180 languages, many people do speak English, even in the rural areas. Some foreigners may wonder why this is so. It’s actually because Americans were the country’s last conquerors. The country also has strong ties with English-speaking countries. When you tour the country, you will find your vacation more enjoyable because it’s easy to understand why things are the way they are. It’s also easy to understand the Filipino culture because they will know how to converse to you.

If you’re planning to spend a holiday in this tropical haven, it would be great to know a little about it. the Philippines is an archipelago where islands are united by seas and divided by mountains. Geographically speaking, since the country is a composition of many different islands, people tend to share their sub-cultures to each other and everything will still be united as the larger Filipino culture that all regions will be known for. Because of this geographical nature of the country, Filipinos can be so diverse yet one in a unique way.

Today, the Philippines has risen as one of the most fabulous destinations in Asia. There are many spectacular views that any tourist can enjoy. If you go to mountains, you can see the man-made rice terraces in Banquet which were made by the natives of the mountains as a way of sustaining their livelihood. The Banawe Rice Terraces are actually counted as one of the eight wonders of the world, and so are the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. Those who love the underwater will also marvel at the rich marine life in the country’s many diving sites.

Most of all, tourists will often leave the country thinking of it not only as a land of beautiful views and beaches but also as a place where warm and spirited hosts will effortlessly go out of their way to accommodate an eager tourist. Immediately after arriving in the Philippines, most foreigners would see how friendly and hospitable Filipinos are. In fact, some actually come back because they have found love in the Philippines. This love does not always mean romantic love. It can also be a fascination for the country’s fabulous attractions, including its culture.

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Ruel Hinaloc asked:


Explore Paradise Philippines. Take a peek at Filipino’s culture and history as mirrored in century-old churches, ancient forts and modern museums. Paradise Philippines have the top of nature’s paradise pictured thru white-sand beaches and three-layered virgin forests.

Paradise Philippines is blessed with an extensive coastline, ringed with unspoiled beaches and first-class resort facilities. Paradise Philippines’ deep-blue, crystal-clear waters offers about 40,000 square kilometers of coastal reefs teeming with a variety of marine life.

Top Philippine Destination and Paradise Spots

Paradise Philippines is endowed amid a tropical climate offering perfect paradise treat to enjoy the sunlight. Lying in Southeast Asia and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Paradise Philippines boasts of unsullied beaches, spectacular sunsets, luxuriant pastoral lands, cool mountain weather, brilliant man-made paradise resorts, and dazzling 7,000+ islands.

Paradise Philippines boasts of one or two of the best beaches and scuba diving waters in the world. Witness the vast expanse of nature’s paradise Philippines’ splendor underneath the spell of cool paradise Philippines mountain breeze.

Here are some featured destinations and paradise regions that is living proof of Paradise Philippines reputation of being referred to as Paradise Philippines.

Alona Beach, Paradise Philippines

Panglao Island, Bohol (May 6, 2007) – The Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano has inaugurated the first age of a P600-million upscale resort complex that is riding on the tourism boom in this province. Durano said, referring to the 16-hectare Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa, which is making 70 luxurious villas catering to the rich Filipino tourists and visitors from Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea.

Donsol, Whale Shark Capital, Paradise Philippines

Once a sleepy coastal village located at the northwestern tip of Sorsogon province, this town now eyes to be a first-class municipality, thanks to giant sea creatures that are now attracting hordes of foreign and local tourists who infuse millions of pesos to the local economy.

Boracay Paradise, Paradise Philippines

Widely known as one of the best swimming destinations in the world, Boracay is blessed with unsullied fine talcum powder-sand beaches. Its tranquil crystal simple waters are best for swimming, sailing, fishing and sunbathing. Boracay in addition boasts of sapphire seas and spectacular sunsets. Countless hidden coves dot the island and tall coconut trees line up along the beaches. Boracay lies at the northwest tip of Panay, in the west Visayas region, off the Sibuyan Sea.

Captivating Guimaras, Paradise Philippines

Nueva Valencia, Guimaras – An Italian couple on a two-month holiday in the Philippines chose to include the present paradise in this itinerary and stayed at the Raymen Beach Resort in December 2006, unperturbed by to know about the oil spill that brought the island province to world attention in August of the same year. “We are just here to see good beaches,” said the Boldo couple, who are just among the hundreds of intercontinental guests who kept coming to Guimaras even in the aftermath of the infamous oil spill.

Wonderful Palawan, Paradise Philippines

The exotic beauty of Palawan remains undefiled. Branded as the country’s survive frontier, Palawan is a sanctuary to an amazing variety of exotic flora and fauna which are found nowhere else. With more as opposed to a thousand islands and islets, Palawan boasts of white-sand beaches, scenic rock formations, underwater rivers and magnificent caves. Palawan is additionally structure to Tubbataha Reef, the only nationwide marine park that made it to the World Heritage List and whose grandeur is comparable to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

Banaue Rice Terraces, Paradise Philippines

Traversing the rugged terrains of Cordillera highlands in a duration of one week is an adventure in itself and could be an immense learning experience for someone who has the guts to be on the look down to the depths of mountain cliffs to get a good view of the rice terraces. With tall rice terraces at the backdrop and cool breeze shuttling between mountain peaks, a journey across the Cordillera heap ranges exposes one to an atmosphere strangely different from the daily offering of Manila and its suburbs.

Amazing Coron, Paradise Philippines

Coron, a town in the Busuanga Island in Northern Palawan, can charm much the most insensitive amongst men. Its natural beauty can only be described as seductive, giving first-time visitors and repeaters alike a sense of wonder so is hard to shake off.

Cebu City, Paradise Philippines

Cebu City drew 403,326 worldwide visitors in 2005, making the “queen city of the south” the top provincial destination of worldwide travelers. Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) also showed such a Cebu City attracted 1,813 distant Filipinos and 712,938 domestic travelers.

Pagudpud, Paradise Philippines

If Aklan has Boracay, Ilocos has Pagudpud, its northernmost town bordering the South China Sea. The coastal town of Pagudpud is the perfect setting for panoramic movies and photoshoot for travel magazines cover. The town’s main attractions are Saud Beach, famous for its fine white sand stretching for hundreds of meters and Maira-Ira Point, which hides a secluded beach called Blue Lagoon. Other breathtaking landscapes in Pagudpud include Bantay Abot-abot, a natural sculpture carved by the wind and sea, the Mabogabog Falls and the Patapat viaduct that treats motorists to a scenic view of red lushes and green waters of South China Sea.

Bohol, Paradise Philippines

Bohol is one of the loveliest islands in southern Philippines. It is situated at the heart of Visayas and with coastline skimmed by gentle coves and white-sand beaches. Many highways snake along sparkling beaches or leafy rivers where one can stop at any point and jump in. With its rolling hills and plateaus, crystal springs and beaches, the province of Bohol is a picturesque province replete amidst ancestral structures and centuries-old churches.

Dan Eggers asked:


Why travel to Cebu, Philippines of all places? What makes Cebu, Philippines special among all other places in the whole country – or the world even? If your travel plans for this year includes Cebu, here are some reasons why we’re certain that you won’t regret your decision on choosing Cebu as your travel destination.

What Makes Cebu Popular

Even if we weren’t to talk about any of the famous tourist spots of Cebu, Philippines, there are still other things that make Cebu so very popular with the tourists. First, there’s the food. If you love those ripe yellow mangoes, you absolutely must go to Guadulupe because their mangoes – served dried or not – can never fail to make taste buds water.

And then there’s chicharon or pork rind; if you’ve never tasted chicharon yet, a good place to start would be at Cebu. Other food to explore in Cebu would be “puso”, the hanging rice, dangit, a dried fish usually eaten for breakfast and budbud, another type of rice.

And then there are the souvenirs or other accessories that you may only purchase in Cebu, Philippine. If you come from a country experiencing all four seasons – people back home would probably appreciate if you give them the beautifully hand woven blankets made from Argao. People with deep faith would no doubt appreciate as well gifts of the Medallions of the Christ Child. For fashion lovers, jewelry made from Mactan stone, corals or seashells are very much popular.

Lastly, there are the guitars. People with fine ears for music can’t help but appreciate the quality of guitars manufactured in Cebu. If you also want to see with your very own eyes the manufacturing process of a guitar, from start to finish, LapuLapu City of Cebu is the place to travel to.

And now finally, we come to the places…

Magellan’s Cross – Since the Philippines began to be of interest to the world thanks to Ferdinand Magellan’s discovery in 1521, tourists might as well begin their travel plans by visiting Magellan’s Cross which is found in Magallanes Street of Cebu City. This place is of much historical value to the Philippines because it’s also where the baptismal rites of the earliest Filipino Christians were held.

Mactan Island – Water sports have always been a favorite activity by tourists when visiting the Cebu and if you’re fond of this as well, make sure that you drop by Mactan Island because the waves there are alike no place else!

Cebu is also the jumping point to other exciting destinations like Dumaguete, Bohol and Sumilon.

Jose Maria Abada asked:

More than the usual- this is how the Philippine is positioned in the tourism block. The country is an archipelago and known officially as the Republic of the Philippines. This archipelago is located in Southeast Asia and holds the distinction of being one of only two predominantly Christian countries in Asia. The other country is East Timor. There are around 7,107 islands in the country and these islands host around 90 million people. This population based on 2008 estimates makes the country as the 12th most populous country in the world. For the traveler interested to know more about the country, it should be learned that the country has around 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide and these are the Filipinos who work in other country and one of the main reasons why the economy of the country is competitive.

According to 2008 estimates, the gross domestic product or the GDP of the country is pegged at over US$ 327.2 billion and this is considered as the 37th largest in the world. The name ‘Philippine’ traces a long history. This name was derived from the name of King Philip II of Spain in the 16th century. It was the initiative of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos to use the name Las Islas Filipinas or the Philippine Islands as his name for the islands Leyte and Samar. And the use of this name was in reference and in honor of the Prince of Spain.  A further examination of the name ‘Philippine’ will reveal that this has Greek roots and according to historians this was the name of the father of Alexander the Great.

The country is divided geographically into three groups:

•    Luzon

•    Visayas

•    Mindanao

And these three major island grouping is then sub-divided into 17 regions, another 81 provinces and 136 cities. The country also plays host to 1,494 municipalities and 41,995 barrios. The government also controls Sabah, North Borneo as asserted by Section 2 of the Republic Act Number 5446. Ecologically, the country is known as one of those countries which feature diverse flora and fauna. This feature of the country is one of the major reasons why the archipelago is one of the favorite places for travelers who seek to experience nature at its best. Another main reason why the country is always part of the list of preferred travel destinations is that the country is rich in natural resources and its scenic spots are panoramic and ready to comfort and to overwhelm the first-time visitors. The natural resources of the country are extensive and this can be seen in many areas like agriculture, forestry and minerals.

Talking about the archipelago is not complete without talking about its fertile and arable lands, the forests that host diverse flora and fauna and the panoramic coastlines. For those travelers willing to sample what the country has to offer over a limited amount of time, it is suggested that the interested traveler should focus on its culture, its beaches and its heritage. The unique Philippine culture will let the traveler experience the many festivals in the country- from Sinulog in Cebu to the Penafrancia Festival in the Bicol Region. The country has a number of festivals and these festivals will usually peak during April and May- the time for the country’s fiestas. Most of these festivals have links to the church and religious in nature.

Visiting the country without visiting some of its finest beaches is not suggested. Since the country boasts of around 7,107 islands and a coastline twice the length of the United States, you can really expect that the country will have some best beaches. Mere mention of the Philippine will evoke images of fine and white beaches of Boracay, Palawan and some of the more not-so commercial yet beautiful sands of other beaches. Some names that should be part of the plans of the traveler include Pagudpud, Mactan Island and Panglao. And speaking of heritage, the country is home to Ifugao Rice Terraces which is now part of the UNESCO Heritage List in 1995. Aside from this rice terraces, Philippine also plays host also to many old churches- baroque churches in Metro Manila and these are all considered as heritage sites that carry the country’s culture and history.