Asian Bird Fair & Philippine Bird Fest

Davao City intensified its bid to become the country’s top eco-tourism destination as it played host to the 1st Asian Bird Fair and 6th Philippine Bird Festival that started September 24 to 26, 2010 at the Waterfront Insular Hotel.

Davao City is the first Mindanao city that hosted the two-day Philippine Bird Festival, the country’s premier avian conservation and eco-tourism event. Various cities and provinces in Luzon and Visayas, such as Puerto Princesa, Bataan, Cebu and Quezon City, already have hosted the said annual environmental event.

More than 30 foreign and local bird-watching organizations and thousands of students from all over the region participated in the event. Delegates were welcomed with a fiesta-themed dinner hosted by City Mayor Sara Duterte at Matina Town Square.

Activities, such as lectures, exhibits, film showing, workshop, story-telling, and interactive learning included in the event’s activity.

Various talks and presentations on bird-watching were also presented by the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, Bird Conservation Nepal, Chinese Wild Bird Federation, Borneo Bird Club, World Wildlife Fund, Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network, Hornbill Research Foundation, Philippine Eagle Foundation, among others. The controversial, Oscar -winning documentary, The Cove, was also shown for the first time in the city.

The festival sought to enrich eco-tourism through bird-watching and promoted the natural and cultural heritage of its host cities. It was also a significant occasion to draw attention to critical environmental preservation issues and find a common ground in protecting the birds in the region.

For further information, contact the Davao Tourism office at (6382)222-1956, telfax (6382)222-1957, email info@davaotourism.com, dabaw_madayaw@yahoo.com or visit the website http://www.davaotourism.com.

First International Dia Del Galeon Festival

The Spanish Galleon Trade, especially active in the years between 1565 and 1815 during the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, is considered as probably the biggest precursor for globalization and world trade.

Just last year, in commemoration of the Galleon trade, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Oct. 8 of every year as Dia Del Galeon (Day of the Galleon), the day in 1565 when the San Pedro Galleon, directed by Fray Urdaneta, reached Acapulco and the same day that Manila-Acapulco trade route was established. This trade route, called the “Tornaviaje” connected Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa and became a conduit for commerce and cultural exchange.

In this spirit, the Baler 400 Steering Committee, led by Sen. Edgardo Angara, the UNESCO International Theater Institute, and the National Commission for Culture and Arts organized the first ever International Dia Del Galeon Festival, which kicked off last Sept. 25 and will last until Oct. 8.

The three-week event was dubbed “History, Heritage, Habitat, and Language: Precursor to Globalization,” was launched in Bohol, succeeded by workshops on the arts and culture, theatrical productions, demonstrations, exhibits and performance, participated in by delegates from the Philippines and other countries with the Galleon Trade experience. A three-day international conference of scholars, historians, and artists was also held, which discussed the historical, political, economic, and cultural impact of the Galleon trade History on contemporary civilizations.

The Viaje del Galeon, a one-week educational trips in various Philippine ports of call during the Galleon Trade, covering Samar, Leyte. Cebu, Bohol, Negros, and Northern Mindanao, was the highlight of the festival, with more 250 local and foreign students tracing the galleon route in the Philippines.

Said Ms. Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, director general of Dia Del Galeon Festival, “Among the objectives of the festival are to trace its effects as a major influence in world political economy and its repercussions on present day globalization and establish its role in the development of marine sciences and other related areas aside from culture.”

Interest parties my log on to www.facebook.com/diadelgaleon.com or call Ms. Charisse Aquino-Tugade at 527-2192 local 616. For more information, contact the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) at (632) 527-5529, 527-2192 loc. 508, 612 to 615, email at ncca.paio@gmail.com, public_affairs@ncca.gov.ph or visit the NCCA website at www.ncca.gov.ph

First Philippine Hotel Investment Conference

International and domestic tourists continue to swell in number and the upward trend is expected to continue well into the next few years. The demand for more accommodations and facilities is therefore inevitable and widens the prospects for immediate investments.

In response to this clamor, Food and Hospitality Events Specialists Inc. and Y&S 1847, a strategic hotel investment company, pooled together leading local and international executives of the hospitality industry for the first ever Hotel Investment Conference at the SMX Convention Center.

Held last Aug. 20, the confab was especially structured to address emerging industry trends and offer valuable insights regarding the business. Delegates were also treated to round table discussions, exhibits, private appointments, and networking opportunities with the international leaders of the hotel and hospitality industry.

Included in the roster of internationally based panelists were Ms. Serena Lim (Vice President, Starwood Hotels), Mr. Thomas Monahan (Executive Vice President For International Development, Wyndham Hotel Group), Ms. Aiyi Lim (Director Of Development, Wyndham Hotel Group), Mr. Patrick Basset (Vice President For Operations, Accor), Mr. Xerxes Mejer Homji (Executive Vice President And Chief Development Officer, Carlson Hotels Worldwide), Mr. Guy Philips (Vice President For Development In Asia Pacific, Hilton International) And Mr. Simon Pearson (Vice President For Marketing And Development, Marco Polo Hotels).

Locally based panelists Included Ms. Annabelle Wisniewski (President, HSAI-Raintree Partners), Mr. Jose Mari Del Rosario (Chief Executive Officer, Microtel Hotels And Resorts), Mr. Al Legaspi (Chief Operating Officer, Ayala Hotels Inc.), Mr. Rey Villar (Executive Vice President, Federal Land), And Mr. Arthur Gindap (Country General Manager, Philippines Ascott International).

Meanwhile, the roster of moderators included Ms. Narzalina Lim (Former Tourism Secretary, Asia Pacific Projects Inc.), Mr. Fraser Hickox (Hall Of Fame, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals), Ms. Vicky Aldaba (President, Shaping Hospitality Now), Ms. Cyndy Tan Jarabata (President, Tajara Leisure Hospitality Group), Ms. Merril Yu (Former Executive Vice President, SM Hotels; Entertainment Chief Executive, Y&S 1847).

Speakers for the event were Mr. David Young, Managing Director for Colliers International; Mr. Roberto Lim, Former Senior Vice President, Philippine Airlines; And Ms. Monica Au, Managing Director Of Landor Associates.

For more information about the event, contact Global-Link MP Events International Inc. at (632) 750-8588, 887-1304; fax (632) 750-8585; email: info@globallinkmp.com, or visit their website at www.globallinkph.com.

Fifth International Tourism and Trade Expo and the First Philippine Culinary Tourism Expo

The tourism trade has been on a steady rise in recent years and alongside it, culinary arts industry has been continuously acquiring a significant audience.

Combining these two industries together, Mediaworx International Inc. organized and conducted the Fifth International Tourism and Trade Expo and the First Philippine Culinary Tourism Expo at the Megatrade Hall last July 23–25.

Among the sponsors and exhibitors who featured their products and services in the event were the Center for Culinary Arts, Maxim Cookware, Silver Swan, Gourdo’s, Bobbie Nail Care www.bobbienailcare.com, Del Monte, Tropezz House of Catering, GSM Blue, Mama Sita’s Mixes, Dental First, Slimmers World, David’s Salon, John Robert Powers, and Wow Videoke.

Media partners included The Philippine Daily Inquirer Lifestyle Section, F&B World, 99.5 RT, Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Max FM, Magic 89.9, E-Yellow Pages, and Islands and Favors.

For more information on this double event, please contact Mediaworx at telephone numbers 687-4312, 687-4906, or 687-2456, email sales@mediaworxinternational.com or visit their website at http://www.mediaworxinternational.com/

Skyathon Bora Beach and Surf Run

The Skyathon Bora Beach and Surf Run was held last April 24 at the Beach Front of Guilly’s Island in Station 1 in the island of Boracay. The competition gave freedom to runners if they prefer to go barefoot or run in aqua socks when they run in the said in the said island terrains.

Participants also joined the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and Kiwanis Club of Boracay in cleaning up the area after the said competition.

This very special event was organized by Sky Cable and officiated by Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP). Sponsors supporters were Bayan DSL, Gold’s Gym, Second Wind, SEAIR, ACCEL, Alta Vista Hotel, Boracay Regency Hotel, Club Paraw, Cyma Restaurant, Guilly’s Island, Paraiso Grill Lobster House, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary-Boracay, and Kiwanis Club of Boracay.

For more information, contact the Triathlon Association of the Philippines at (632) 710-8259, (63916) 504-6513, (63915) 639-4233, fax (632) 809-2713, 850-5254, email info@triathlon.org.ph, or visit http://www.triathlon.org.ph/

CREBA conducts Grand Caprice Convention

The Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA) conducted its national convention last October 8-10, 2009, at the Grand Caprice Convention Hall in Cagayan de Oro City. With the theme “PINOY Economic Stimuli in a Global Recession – Mass Housing and World-Class Tourism,” the event drew attendance from some 500 delegates. Members of some 40 CREBA chapters around the Philippines as well as national associations in real estate, housing development, and tourism, and professionals and practitioners in allied businesses also registered for the event and so were the Overseas Filipino Workers.

As for the keynote speaker, Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo highlighted accomplishments and opportunities in mass housing projects and world-class tourism facilities and amenities that are helping the national economy weather the current global recession. Industry reports indicate unhampered production and marketing of low-cost housing and increased global interest in the tourism assets of the Philippines.

The convention also feature speakers from both public and private sectors on innovations and reforms aimed at stimulating greater investor interest in housing and tourism real estate development. Topics on best practices and success stories were shared during the three-day confab.

The Fair is jointly sponsored by the CREBA-Cagayan de Oro Chapter and the Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry. CREBA is regarded as the umbrella organization in the Philippines for professionals and businessmen engaged in real estate development for housing, new towns and urban communities, tourism, business process outsourcing, and other industries.

Hosting this year’s national convention is the Creba-Cagayan de Oro chapter which promises a balanced program of learning and tourism delights for all the delegates. 

For inquiries, contact the Creba National Secretariat at their headquarters, A. Roces Avenue in Quezon City, with telephone numbers +632-373-2270 up to 75.

QC tackles Culinary, Tourism Etc.

As endorsed by the Department of Tourism Philippines and organized by an events company called Stram Events, the “2nd QC NA! KULINARYA, TALENTO, TURISMO, ATBP!” was held from August 21-23 at Eastwood City, Libis.

Different activities were lined up during the event such as Top Culinary Restaurant Trendsetters Recognition Night, Fruit and Vegetable Carving Competition, BBQ & Original Sauces Competition, Cocktail Mixed Drink Competition (Amateur) and Cocktail Mixed Drink Competition (Professional).

Some of the event’s highlights also include the Manila’s market basket cooking competition, low cholesterol diet meal competition, and fruit and vegetable carving competition. The event also had various sponsors such as Monterey, Purefoods Hormel, Purefoods Ham Selections, Fast n Easy, Antonov Vodka, G.S.M. BLUE, Gran Matador, Basso, CCA, Harvey Fresh, Marigold, Health Plus, and Maxim. On the other hand, media sponsors were consisted of F&B World, Cool, Business World and Depot Home.

This event was co-organized with Quezon City Tourism Council, Quezon City Government, Quezon City Chamber of Commerce, La Loma Lechoneros Quezon City and Chilis.

For inquiries, please call 927-7208 or email them at stram_events@yahoo.com.

Daet hosts 1st int’l kiteboarding tilt

Inspired by the growing number of foreigners kiteboarding in Bagasbas Beach, the municipal government of Daet in Camarines Norte held its first international kiteboarding competition last February 5-8.

The international sporting event aims to promote Daet as a sports tourism destination according to Daet Mayor, Tito Sarion, He added that the famous mile-long Bagasbas beach is also the site of surfing tournaments, installation art, concerts and other special events.

Kitesurfing season in Daet starts during the Northeast monsoon season from October to early March. Bagasbas Beach listed as one of the country’s 10 best wavesurfing destinations is now an alternative site for extreme sports enthusiasts because of its less crowded and wide kiteboarding area. Sites vary from flat water lagoon to to high waves and island hopping to see the white sand beaches of Camarines Norte can be done via kiteboard.

The first Daet International Kiteboarding Competition is supported by the ABS-CBN Regional Network Group, the Department of Tourism, Mikes-Kites, Rep. Liwayway Vinzons Chato and the Bagasbas Beach Council

Kitesurfing or kiteboarding is a surface water sport that uses the wind to pull a rider through the water on a small surfboard or a kiteboard.

For more inquiries, contact 0919-6567440.