{"id":24558,"date":"2018-01-02T14:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T06:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/?p=24558"},"modified":"2018-01-02T15:02:05","modified_gmt":"2018-01-02T07:02:05","slug":"dots-must-visit-destinations-for-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/2018\/01\/02\/dots-must-visit-destinations-for-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"DOT\u2019s Must-visit destinations for 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philippines saw an 11.54% rise in tourist arrivals last 2017, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Department of Tourism (DOT) led by Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo. South Koreans topped the list with over 1.3 million visitors, followed by China and the United States.<\/p>\n

Marketing efforts such as the recently-revived Bring Home A Friend <\/i><\/em>will help out a lot, but where will you bring that friend from overseas? Cliched as they may be, these destinations will always bring a smile to your friend\u2019s face if they are looking to experience the best of the Philippines:<\/p>\n

Banaue Rice Terraces<\/b><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/strong>Ifugao Province, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Banaue Rice Terraces are living proof of their ingenuity. While most people would put off a visit to Banaue in favor of the much cooler Sagada, the Banaue Rice Terraces still gives you the best of what the Ifugao are capable of. These 2,000-year-old terraces span the entire Cordillera region and are a testament to how the Ifugao overcame what modern farmers couldn\u2019t: the idea of growing rice without having to level a mountain.<\/p>\n

Chocolate Hills<\/b><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/strong>Bohol<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There are a couple of urban legends that tell the story of their creation, but the most well-known is that of a giant falling in love with a human who got so jealous of her fiance that he whisked her away only to have her die in his hand. His tears would fall to the Earth, forming the most popular tourist attraction in Bohol.<\/p>\n

Boracay<\/b><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/strong>Aklan<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What else can we say that hasn\u2019t been said about Boracay? This piece of paradise has been in Conde Nast Traveler\u2019s annual list of the world\u2019s best islands time and again, and seems to have something new every time we look at the island.<\/p>\n

Its powdery white sand beaches are its main attraction, along with the number of restaurants and bars that can be found along White Beach. People, however, should look towards the other side of Boracay. Bulabog Beach is the place to be if you want a bit of peace and quiet while kite surfing.<\/p>\n

Cebu<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This list wouldn\u2019t be complete without the province of Cebu. Dubbed by the DOT as \u201cThe Gateway to a Thousand Journeys\u201d, Cebu offers what the entire country does in a nutshell: great weather, the best beaches, crystal-clear waters, and top-of-the-line resorts packed with modern amenities.<\/p>\n

Davao<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It houses the largest city in the Philippines, has an economy that\u2019s hinged on agriculture (which, technically, the country should be relying on), yet still has waters that can support commercial fishing. It\u2019s also home to one of the liveliest festivals in the country, the Kadayawan sa Dabaw<\/i><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Manila<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s your first point of contact with the Philippines, and (once you wrap your head around the traffic situation) is one of the better cities to be in. Described by the DOT as \u201ca pulsating hub that blends the Oriental with the Occidental, the quaint with the modern, the mundane with the extraordinary,\u201d its most recent addition is Entertainment City, home to the country\u2019s most luxurious integrated resorts.<\/p>\n

Palawan<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dubbed as \u201cThe Last Frontier,\u201d Palawan boasts of a megadiversity that is hard to find anywhere else. Its towering cliffs, thick green forests, crystal-clear waters, and pristine beaches make up half of the island\u2019s splendor. It\u2019s popular with divers because of its many shipwrecks and is an ideal escape for anyone who wants to spend time away from the grit and grind of the city.<\/p>\n

Vigan<\/b><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/strong>Ilocos Sur<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Intramuros may be the most accessible old-world city in the Philippines, but nothing compares to what you can see in Vigan. A visit to this small city gives you the feeling of going back in time, with its many ancestral homes, the majestic St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral, and the people\u2019s steadfast belief in their pottery and handloom weaving.<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Andronico Del Rosario<\/i><\/em>
\n<\/i><\/em>Source: <\/i><\/em>Department of Tourism<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A bucket list for those trapped in the city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-current-events"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/kayangan.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24567,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24558\/revisions\/24567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}