BATHING your body in sweat and sun-razing your pores dry—don’t you wish you could just get away for a while, get under a shade or splash through the clear cold waters of the ocean? Summer getaways have never been this good.
The Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), the implementing arm of the Department of Tourism, has intensified efforts to promote our country’s underrated summer vacation spots.
This year, PTA launched “Barkadahan sa Campus”, inviting schools to get a taste of their student tour packages for free. A number of students from the University of Santo Tomas joined representatives from other universities and colleges during the promotional tour, which consisted of four vacation spots, namely Tagaytay Picnic Grove in Tagaytay City, Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel in Banaue, Ifugao, the Macarthur Park Beach Resort in Candahug, Palo, Leyte, and the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan.
Members of the UST Tourism Society and some Varsitarian staffers were privileged enough to join the trip to the Hundred Islands National Park in Brgy. Lucap, Alaminos, Pangasinan.
The Hundred Islands actually number to 129 islands as of the latest count. Three of these have already been developed and opened to the public by the PTA, namely, Governor’s Island, Children’s Island, and Quezon Island.
The group that was taken to the Hundred Islands hiked, kayaked, and island-hopped. Professional divers accompanied the tourists and showed them giant clams being heaved from the blue waters of Pangasinan.
PTA also owns a number of vacation spots nationwide. These properties include: Mt. Data Hotel in Mountain Province; San Fabian PTA Beach Resort in Pangasinan; Paskuhan Village in San Fernando, Pampanga; Mt. Arayat Ecological Park in Arayat, Pampanga; Club Intramuros Golf Course in Manila; Balicasag Island Dive Resort in Bohol; Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Park in Zamboanga City; Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village in Cagayan de Oro City; and Ramon Magsaysay Park in Davao City.
For more information on the PTA’s summer vacation packages, visit www.philtourism.com or contact (02)5242502 or (02)5242495. Joanne G. Fajardo and Natasha B. Gamalinda.
