Bicol tourist arrivals seen to increase by 10%

Legazpi City, Albay — Tourist arrivals in the Bicol region is projected to increase 10 percent next year to finally hit the one-million mark, according to Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano.

Tourism receipts for the region by next year, Durano projected, could reach P530 million.

Durano made the projection at the blessing over the weekend of two major hotel developments in Albay ‑ one in Legazpi  City  of the Hotel Venezia and the other in Misibis, Bacacay, Albay of the Discovery Bay Misibis ‑ owned by Bicolano businessman Elizaldy S. Co.

In an interview with a group of select reporters at the sidelines of the blessing for the resort last Aug. 8, Durano said by 2009, with Discovery Bay Misibis fully operational, tourist arrivals in the region is projected to “grow by 10 percent , to hit the one-million mark.”

For the first quarter of this year, 256,746 tourists arrived in the Bicol region, with foreign travelers accounting for 35,258  and the rest comprised of domestic tourists including balikbayans, according to the regional office of the Department of Tourism.

Bicol’s tourist arrivals and receipts have been steadily rising with the successful marketing of Camarines Sur as the “wakeboarding capital” of the Philippines.

Durano said Camarines Sur accounted for 51 percent of the 897,680 total arrivals in Bicol last year.

Total arrivals jumped 41 percent  from the 637,127 recorded in 2006.

The first phase of the P1.6-billion Discovery Bay Misibis resort is already under construction with a soft opening scheduled on Dec. 8 this year.

Discovery Bay Misibis will be managed by HSAI Raintree, a hotel management firm which is a partnership between the Tiu family and hotelier Annabella Santos-Wisniewski.

Hotel Venezia, is a 40-room hotel located in Renaissance Gardens in Legazpi City. It offers a stunning view of Mayon Volcano and is located just five minutes away from the Legazpi Airport.

HSAI Raintree is managing the city hotel as well.

Durano said that with Discovery Bay Misibis, Bicol will attract a more upscale crowd with higher spending power, pushing tourism receipts in the region to P530 million.

In a separate interview, Wisniewski said that Discovery Bay Misibis has just been included in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World list, the second Philippine hotel to be included in the prestigious list. 

The first SLH in the Philippines is Discovery Shores Boracay which is owned by the Discovery Leisure Co. of the Tiu family.            — Marriane Go