News Releases

DOT Explores RP’s Cruise Ship Tourism Potentials

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has expressed intentions to broaden its reach to foreigners arriving via cruise ships. The department recently led the reception and send-off activities for the passengers of the M/V Costa Allegra at the South Harbor in Manila.

The DOT’s welcome program was highlighted by a Masskara street dance performance and booths that showcase the best of Filipino arts and crafts. Souvenir leis and information materials were also given to the close to 1,000 passengers, comprised mostly of Italian and other European nationals.

Tour operator Travel People organized day visits around Corregidor, Tagaytay, historic Manila and a special shopping trip. Pangkat Kawayan, an orchestra that plays indigenous bamboo instruments, serenaded the visitors at the end of the day as they left for their next destination.

M/V Costa Allegra, a world-renowned Italian cruise ship, has scheduled 10 calls to Manila this year. The vessel features the country in two of its Asian itineraries, namely Treasures of the Far East and Jewels of the Far East. Both courses include stops in China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Korea and Japan.

The DOT is currently coordinating with its partners in the private sector to groom the country as a major Asian destination for cruise ships and increase visitor arrivals from this market.

Photo shows Italian tourists from the MV Costa Allegra cruise joining in the merriment of the Masskara street dancers, which was part of the reception program at the South Harbor. (DOT photo by Larry Moran).

Philippine Hilot Wins in Asia Spa Awards

Hilot, the Philippine’s own brand of touch therapy, is earning international fame as the prestigious 2007 AsiaSpa Awards recently recognized Mandala Spa & Villas Boracay’s Hilot Trilogy as Holistic Treatment of the Year.

According to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, “We congratulate Mandala for bagging this award. Citations of this magnitude indicate that our health and wellness destinations and services are definitely at par with world standards. They also open to us more opportunities in developing this type of industry.”

Established in 2005, the AsiaSpa Awards continues to be one of the industry’s most esteemed recognitions in the Asia Pacific region. It aims to set the standards, highlighting innovation and quality. Resorts, companies, organizations and personalities that take home the much-coveted trophy are deemed benchmarks for this fast-growing enterprise.

The awards are organized by AsiaSpa Magazine, the most recognized luxury wellness publication reaching more than 120,000 influential urban female readers across Asia.

This year’s search included categories on treatments, locations, products, teaching programs, events and individual efforts. A panel of 28 judges, comprising of spa owners, wellness experts and authors, decided on the most outstanding treatments and most original spa destinations.

The 2007 winners were recently celebrated at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong, which was attended by 350 leaders in the spa trade. Mandala Spa & Villas stood out prominently as the only Filipino independent business among the roster of winners dominated by Thailand-based establishments.

Mandala is one of the first luxury wellness centers in the country to offer hilot. Located in a quiet and secluded area in Boracay, Mandala is steadily rising as one of the finest Asian destination spas. The company earlier won the 2005 AsiaSpa award for Treatment of the Year.

The spa’s two-hour Hilot Trilogy session combines three traditional healing therapies widely practiced in the Philippines. The deep-tissue hilot massage relaxes over-all tension and establishes equilibrium. The dagdagay, of Cordilleran origin, uses two bamboo or rattan sticks to stimulate the soles and cleanse the body from specific points on the feet.

The bentosa portion of the treatment involves warmed glass cups that suction out toxins and improve circulation. Hilot is currently one of the features that the Department of Tourism aggressively promotes in the international market for health and well-being destinations. Selling missions that incorporate this form of wellness therapy have been received enthusiastically by the Japanese, Chinese and European travel groups.





Facts

Did you know... The symbolic name for the Philippines, Juan dela Cruz, is not a Filipino invention? It was coined by R. McCulloch-Dick, a Scottish-born journalist working for the Manila Times in the early 1900s, after discovering it was the most common name in blotters.

Did you know...Maria Teresa Calderon – A Filipina World champion speed reader as listed in the Guinness Book of World Records

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