Ayala Land expects rise in El Nido visitors

EL NIDO, Palawan , Philippines   – Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is seeking to increase the number of tourists visiting El Nido by nearly third of its current yearly visitor count through the development of its P6-billion mixed-use project.

In a bid to help the government boost tourism in the country, ALI is venturing into tourism estate development for the first time with a 325-hectare eco-tourism estate called Lio in Palawan.

Laurent Lamasuta, El Nido Resorts president, said visitors to El Nido which grows at an average annual rate of around 28 percent is expected to reach 78,000 this year from 65,000 last year and 50,000 in 2012.

 “We will make El Nido, Palawan as a major tourist destination. We want to make it a special tourism experience,” Lamasuta said.

ALI is investing P6 billion over the next five years for the Lio development, a project which will incorporate hotels, commercial establishments, and residential communities.

The property firm last March already broke ground for the first phase of the development consisting of approximately 25 hectares of land.

Lamasuta said ALI will be inviting both local and international firms to locate their hotel or resort brands to Lio.   

He said ALI can sell some of the parcels of land to some of the locators or offer it under a leasing agreement.