By Marane A. Plaza
In 2015 Region 4A (Calabarzon) gathered a staggering 21,613,300 same-day visitors and 4,318,635 overnight tourists, with Japan being its largest market. Calabarzon, or formally known as Southern Tagalog Mainland, is comprised of five huge provinces, namely, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, which are all individually and equally competitive in the tourism industry, as each province boasts of really unique and strong attributes as tourist destination.
Singularly formidable as tourist attraction, each province in Calabarzon has all built its distinctive reputation among tourists. Laguna, being the “Resort Capital of the Philippines,” has undoubtedly won the hearts of local and global tourists alike with its robust strings of hot-spring resorts and swimming-pool attractions. Cavite has inevitably positioned itself as “Historical Capital of the Philippines,” as the province was literally the home of the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spanish colonial rule dating back to 1898. Batangas is known to have the second-largest international seaport in the Philippines, and one of the nearest getaway destinations with its rich, stunning beach attractions that are just three hours away from Metro Manila. Rizal is famous for its mountainous ranges that offer a panoramic view of Metro Manila in its urbanized spots in Antipolo, while Quezon province takes pride in its attributes that offer amazing faith tours, from its spiritual and mystical attractions that is Mount Banahaw, to grand festive fiesta treats, like the beautiful Pahiyas Festival every month of May.
The Calabarzon region is easily an accessible province near Manila, making all sorts of tourists frequent the region regularly. Just when you think you have more than enough travel hype from the region, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has yet given us more reasons to fall in love with Calabarzon even more. At the recent third Calabarzon Tourism Summit, new tourist attractions were introduced to the media by the DOT.
Laguna introduces world’s largest flying theater
Aside from numerous, lovely swimming, pool resorts, Laguna has made a name for itself as Santa Rosa is the home of the largest amusement park in the country—Enchanted Kingdom (EK). This year marks the 21st anniversary of EK, and the theme park’s Chairman and President Mario Mamon shared its exciting new attraction called Agila.
The new cultural zone of EK will launch its first attraction called Agila after the Philippine Eagle. “Agila: The Experience” will be the Philippines’s first and the world’s largest flying theater in the world, as one would be flying as if on the wings of an eagle traveling around the Philippines.
“We took about 30 hours of aerial photos and videos of travel spots in the Philippines. We were able to come up with a six-minute film for our first installment of this 4D cinema. One can get to see and smell the beauty of the Philippines, and even feel the strong winds while flying from one region to another via Agila,” Mamon explained. “This is our way of giving back to our country, by promoting tourism, Filipino pride and culture, and also educating the youth of the country’s pride, which are the tourist attractions. It is a ride all over the Philippines in a 4D platform. Agila is our way of teaching the young about the beauty of our country. Agila: The Experience will open its doors on December 14. EK will also double in its size in the next five to 10 years. Part of the development will include new zones aside from the cultural zone, as EK aims to be an integrated destination with wholesome and family-themed entertainment attractions.
Sangley Point International Airport soon to rise
Cavite Gov. Jesus Crispin Remulla has always been proud of the “talented human resources” his province has, but this historical area has a lot more to offer.
Aside from its superfamous spots Corregidor and Tagaytay, the Cavite local government is eyeing to formally launch its 4,000-hactare Palay-Palay Park in Marigondon, the minute they had its turnover from the Department of Natural Resources (DENR). The Palay-Palay Mountain Range was first established in October 1976 as a national park and bird sanctuary. The park is the last remaining lowland rain forest in Cavite. It is well-known for its hiking spot in Mount Pico de Loro, a popular destination for mountaineers and hikers from Metro Manila. “Pico de Loro is very raw, and so beautiful, as it offers a stunning visual treat of Manila Bay, Bataan and Batangas. Hikers love it, although we are planning to improve the number of tour guides and develop the backbone for security in Pico de Loro,” Remulla shared.
Remulla also shared in the tourism summit about his thoughts on the approval of Sangley Point as the new location for an international airport. “It has a tug-of-war right now, but I really believe that our Sangley Point is the perfect location for a new international airport. Sangli is a Chinese term for business, and the location is historical, as it was a center of business even during the Galleon trade. “For me, it is the best location as it is close to Metro Manila, Laguna and Batangas. If the international airport was to be built in Sangley Point, it could help a lot in decongesting the traffic in Metro Manila,” Remulla said. “Right now, we are just waiting for the President’s decision.”
Unveiling Calabarzon’s new tourism products
Next year new tourism products and players are set to be launched, particularly beachdestinations. A town called Lobo in Batangas, known as the “Atis Capital of the Philippines,” will introduce its new beach spot and develop its virgin island using the town’s P800-million budget for road improvements and tourist-spot developments. The town of Pollilio in Quezon province will hype up its picturesque islands like Balesin, gorgeous islets and beaches, as well as its newly discovered historical spot called the Wall City. It is formerly a pueblo during Spanish colonial time, and can be likened to Manila’s Intramuros.
Calabarzon local government tourism is expecting to double its visitor figures in the coming years with all these new tourism products.