Tourism and Hotel Management 301432

The Pearl of the Orient Seas

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January 4, 2010
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Table of contents
I. II. Country Profile History of tourism

III. Information Technology and Tourism IV. Impact of Tourism V. New Ideas to be implemented VI. References

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I.

Country Profile

Country name : CAPITAL : Geographical location: Population: Provinces, territories and/or Cities :

PHILIPP INES
MANILA South East Asia 97,976,603 (July 2009 est.)

The Archipelago is composed of 13 regions, NCR (National Capital Region) and the Cordillera or 79 provinces and 115 chartered cities scattered in 7,107 islands. The 4 largest cities : Type of economic system : Agriculture: producer of rice, coconuts, corn, sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, pork, eggs, beef, fish. Industries: electronics assembly, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, wood processing, petroleum refining, fishing Mining: Timber, limited offshore petroleum, extensive mineral deposits of copper, gold, silver, nickel, lead, and chromium. Telephone code: Currency and currency code : National language : Attraction and popular sites
y Intramuros is a walled city in Manila, built by the Spanish in the 1500s. Originally,

Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, Davao

63 Peso [Php] Pilipino

Manilas boundaries were the city walls. But due to the growing size of the city, newer buildings were built outside these walls. As of today, Intramuros contains museums, churches and an old fort.
y Manila's vibrant party scene rivals those of Shanghai and the nightlife is amongst the

underrated in the world with the Filipinos penchant for parties and fiestas. Somewhere in the archipelago, there is at least one fiesta being celebrated 365 days a year (By Third Week of January - head off to Kalibo for the Asia's version of
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the Mardi Gras). Manila, Cebu and Boracay are the ground zero for parties - pool parties, yacht parties, rave and fashion events.
y Makati City is the modern face of Manila. It is the complete opposite of Intramuros.

Major malls, business centers, hotels are situated in Makati City. Makati has a lot of high rise buildings, the Makati skyline is the best in the country.
y Aklan is one of the most visited provinces in the Philippines not only because of its

beaches but also of its popular yearly colorful event which is the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo.
y Chocolate Hills are limestone hills that turn brown during the summer. Chocolate

Hills are found in the island province of Bohol, which is also the home of one of the smallest primates in the world - the Philippine Tarsier.
y The Hanging Coffins of Sagada and the Banaue Rice Terraces are worth a visit in

the Northern Philippines. The rice terraces were carved out of mountains thousands of years ago and by far the most extensive of its kind in the world (longer and bigger than those in Indonesia) with sophisticated irrigation and engineering that was unthinkable during the time it was built.
y Taal Volcano, one of the smallest active volcanoes in the world, sits on a lake and

is just an hour away from Manila. The fresh cool air off the Tagaytay Ridge provides a spectacular view of the lake and the volcano. Visitors should confirm whether hiking to the crater is safe or not before attempting to do so.
y North of Manila, take the rough road and go to Mt. Pinatubo, the volcano which

caused a massive eruption in 1991. Now you can marvel at the volcano up close and swim inside its crater. The last eruption was one of the biggest during the last century and lowered the global temperature by at least a degree.
y The Hundred Islands, also located in the Northern Philippines, is a group of more

that 400 islets with coral reefs surrounding the islets. These islands are famous for

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their beaches and the coral reefs, which can be explored by snorkeling.
y About two thousand years ago, mountains in Northern Luzon were carved by

indigenous people to form what is now the Banaue Rice Terraces. The rice terraces cover 4,000 square miles (10,000 km2) of mountainside. The Banaue Rice Terraces is a UNESCO world heritage and is said to be the 8th wonder of the world.
y The province of Palawan is an island in the South China Sea. Palawan has natural

gas fields on the northeastern part of the island but the beautiful beaches around the island are still maintained.
y Boracay Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The

island boasts a 4-kilometer stretch of white sand beach, considered to be the best beach in Asia and one of the top ten beaches in the world.
y Surfing in the Philippines is comparable to the best in the world - with the world-

famous cloud 9s off the island of Siargao facing the Philippine Trench in the Western Pacific as well as the surfing destinations of La Union and Zambales (facing South China Sea).
y The Philippines also boasts as one of the top three best diving destinations in the

world the other two being Palau and the Maldives. The archipelago is also considered as one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world, with the most number of species concentrated in one area. The best dive sites in the Philippines are located in Anilao, Boracay, Malapascua, Apo Island, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Tubbataha, Palawan, and Puerto Galera. Subic Bay, home of a former American naval base, is also known for World War II wreck dives.

Kinds of transportation The Philippines has different means of transportations. Jeepneys, taxis, and buses are on every main and sub a thoroughfare that includes pedicabs and the thrifty tricycles that roam the city streets. MRT (Metro Rail Transit) and LRT (Light Rail Transit) are

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also accessible in the main commercial districts. Sea and air transport are the most popular means of transportation getting to other parts of the country. The Philippines have its airports and seaports situated throughout the country. Accommodations The Philippines have wide variety of hotels, motels and apparels from luxurious to ordinary lodging houses especially in key cities and main islands. It also has many coastal resorts. The country has more than 7,107 islands, so it shouldn't be hard to find one that's right for you. Living costs vary widely, with Manila being at the top of the list. But no matter where you are, the cost of living will be dramatically lower than a comparable area in a western nation. Food and Breverages Filipino cuisine has evolved over several centuries from its Malayo-Polynesian origins to become a mixed cuisine with many Hispanic, Chinese, American, and other Asian influences. These influences have been adapted to local ingredients and the Filipino palate to create distinctively Filipino dishes. Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to the elaborate, such as the paellas and cocidos created for fiestas. Popular dishes include lechn, adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, tapa, crispy pata, pancit, lumpia, and halo-halo. Some common local ingredients used in cooking are calamondins, coconuts, saba (a kind of short wide plantain), mangoes, milkfish, and fish sauce. Filipino taste buds tend to favor robust flavors but the cuisine is not as spicy as those of its neighbors. Due to the tropical climate chilled drinks are popular. There are alcoholic beverages made from rice, sugarcane and palm, fruits shakes made from tropical fruits and chilled drinks like sago and gulaman are popular choice cold drinks. Philippine also offers local coffee, chocolate drinks, specialty drink like ginger, lemon grass which old folks claims has therapeutic effects to health. 2008 - 3.14 million 2007 - 3.09 million 2006 2.86 million 2005 2.62 million
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Number of tourist in the last 4 years

II. History of tourism

Filipinos are known for their hospitality trait. The happy smile, friendly faces of the Filipinos endear most tourists to come back to the Philippines aside from the amazing beauty of its sceneries. The government capitalized on these assets to alleviate it income and make tourism as one of its main industry. Philippine tourism started to flourish in the year 1970 up to 1980's, but in the mid 1980s, the growth of the Philippine tourism started to slow down. One of the major evidence of the slow growth is the average length of tourist stay of 8.9 days in 1988 down from 12.6 days. In 1987, this growth was slower compared to other countries in Southeast Asia. Signs of a faster growth showed up in the early 1990s. About 1.2 million tourists visited the Philippines in 1992, which was a record high in the number of tourist visits since 1989. The tourism growth of the year of 1992 gave the Department of Tourism a reason to forecast a positive outlook for the future years. In 2000, the Philippines' tourist arrivals totaled 2.2 million. In 2003 it totaled 2,838,000 it grows almost 29%, and it is expected to grow as much as 3.4 million in 2007. In the first quarter of 2007, the tourist arrival in the Philippines grew as much as 20% in same period last year.

III.

Information Systems and Tourism in the Philippines

Information technology has dramatically changed the way tourism industry does business. It improves tourism in four main areas, the delivery of tourism services; tourism management, marketing of the industry; with the chain relationship between the agents, destinations, airlines, tourists and other businesses related to tourism. Nowadays, every transaction can be accomplished on your finger tips without leaving the convenience of your home as long as you have an internet connection. From deciding for a destination, travel agency, airline, hotel, car reservation to payments for said transactions can all now be done through internet. Today, you dont have to pick up your ticket from your travel agents office because you can print in on your own printer. E-tickets, e-booking et al are all products the advent of Information Technology.

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Information technology will have a far-reaching impact on tourism industrys productivity in conducting in business. It provides convenience for both the tourist and the tourism industry in as much as time and effort is concerned. Aside from the income and employment that is brought by the industry in the countrys economy.

IV. Impact of tourism

Tourism is a means of economic salvation and a smokeless industry for most third world country like the Philippines. The Arroyo government puts a premium on tourism to generate income and employment for the Philippines ever expanding population. The Department of Tourism (DOT) reports that 3.09 million tourists in 2007 resulted in total receipts of US$4.9 billion (about 4% of the countrys GDP). But this billion dollar income for governments coffer has its drawbacks. Firstly, on the environment ecological damage such as destruction of the natural habitat of flora and fauna in the ecosystem, pollution, garbage problem, sewerage and others. Secondly, displacement of local or cultural minorities in their ancestral land in favors of hotels, goal clubs and other tourist facilities and amenities constructed in the site. Loss of livelihood as a result of reclassification of agricultural lands for land reform to be transform into malls and clubs or casinos. Banishment of fisher folk from their traditional fishing grounds to be reclaimed and build commercial area for business and commerce. The costs entailed in the commercialization, commoditization and denigration of indigenous and local culture. Social impacts of tourism in Philippines - the residents improve quality of life, greater tolerance to other culture and positive changes in values and custom. Also, tourism leads to increase prostitution, alcoholism, vandalism, burglary, or drug abuse.

V. New projects or Ideas to be implemented in order to improve the tourism sector.

The Philippine governments should pay particular attention to regulatory policy issues related to the use of technology especially with respect to consumer protection, for electronic transactions via the Internet are widely used globally. The government
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should gain the confidence of the tourists in its technology infrastructure. In the borderless world of cyberspace, information, security issues such as insecure payment methods, loss of personal data, and unreliable products are serious tourists concerns. Secondly, a need for more industry and computer trained Filipinos. Since the trend in travel and tourism is increasingly sophisticated with the use of information technology, industry employees need to adapt to the use of technology in order to respond appropriately to a wide range of industry technological needs. Third, need of adequate services and good infrastructure, such as in transport, telecommunications, financial services, or reasonable electric power charges. provide an adequately educated and trained workforce, and advertise for tourists. Any country wanting to boost its tourism industry also needs to be able to build hotels,

VI. References:
Paul A. Rodell.(2001). Culture and customs of the Philippines. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_the_Philippines Zibart, Eve. (2001). The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion: Understanding the Cuisines of the World. Menasha Ridge Press. http://justwandering.org/2009/04/dot-mtv-launches-awesome-philippines/ http://www.oecd.org/document/

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