Explore undiscovered attractions through Bike Festival Asia

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippines, with its remarkable 7,107 islands, numerous land formations and bodies of water, makes it suitable for sports adventures like biking.

In the recent Bike Festival Asia, over 100 cyclists traversed the mountainous slopes, wide rice fields and vast shorelines of Nasugbu, Batangas, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

Road bikers followed the 75-kilometer trek starting from Terrazas de Punta Fuego, passing through Matabungcay beach resorts, Calatagan, round the Lemery terminus, and back to Terrazas.

Meanwhile, mountain bikers took an exhilarating 35-kilometer rough off-trail route before finishing in the same venue.

The bike fun run, presented by Leading Events Network Plus Inc (L.E.N. Plus Inc) and supported by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), utilized biking in promoting the Philippines as a tourist destination.

More than the recreational and health benefits brought by the sport, the scenic landscapes and seaside view made the biking experience more memorable and noteworthy.

TIEZA general manager and CEO Mark Lapid said, “Biking is just the vehicle used to maximize the tour, to show off the beautiful place.”

The event’s goal was to recommend different areas and tourist destinations that are not very popular and to make the country’s tourism highly competitive.

During the event, for instance, the bikers discovered the virgin beaches and fields that are only familiar to the Batangueños.

“We should also target local tourists because many Filipinos have not fully explored the rest of our country’s exquisite islands. They bounded their quest only to the talked-about destinations like Boracay, when in fact there are other wonderful places like Paoay and Palawan,” said Lapid.

With this in mind, the success of the second Bike Festival Asia, gives L.E.N. Plus more optimism that in the future, it could bring the event to other parts of the country like the Visayas and Mindanao.

Marilen Nuñez, president of L.E.N. Plus Inc., said, “We are also looking at inviting foreign riders to join the succeeding events as we plan to make the event bigger as we progress to promote tourism also in these parts of the Philippines. We want to communicate that the Philippines is a safe, enjoyable and truly beautiful destination.”