CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to embark on a nationwide campaign to increase awareness and promote the country’s adventure and ecotourism destinations and activities.

DOT Region 3 Director Ronaldo Tiotuico said Secretary Joseph Ace Durano is keen about absorbing a bigger slice of the adventure and experiential travel market and consequently position the country as an adventure destination in Asia.

Dubbed as “Adventure Philippines Campaign,” the program aims to create positive awareness for the Philippines as an exciting outdoor-travel destination; to educate the industry stakeholders, including tour operators/travel agents, guides, suppliers, outdoor recreational clubs or societies, on adventure travel and its potentials; and to foster or strengthen networking capacity and working relationship between travel-service providers and suppliers.

To provide tourism stakeholders and major players an overview of the outdoor-recreation industry and its potential for job generation and social and economic benefits, the tourism department is set to conduct a seminar on the fundamentals of Adventure Tourism 101 slated from June 3 to 5 at Hotel Stotsenberg, Clark Free-port Zone, Pampanga.

The conference is organized by the Philippine Convention & Visitors Corp., in cooperation with the Recreational Outdoor Exchange Partnering with the DOT are the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Philippine Airlines.

Participants to the seminar are set to hold actual adventure travel to the wilds and rainforests of Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales on June 5, where they are bound to try the famous jungle safari, canopy ride and slide for life amid thick vegetation and wildlife sanctuary. Administrator Armand Arreza of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority will sponsor the one-day safari.

A registration fee of P2,500 will be assessed each participant to cover cost of food and snacks for the duration of the seminar, seminar kit including food and snacks and transportation during the postseminar activity in Subic Bay Freeport. Hotel accommodation and other incidental expenses are on pax account.

MADRID, Spain—The Philippines will shed more than one percentage point out of its gross domestic product (GDP), experience higher inflation, and force the Bangko Sentral to jack up interest rates in 2008 and 2009 due to high food and oil prices, according to the latest study released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

FOREIGN businessmen are asking the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to relax restrictions on the entry of professional workers and lower the entry barrier to retail trade under the 8th Regular Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL).

AN official of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) believes the government is “ignoring” the creative-design industry in the country despite its huge contribution to the domestic economy.

LOOKING at providing reliable power supply to people of Palawan, the provincial government there has programmed to allot P110 million to finance its solar home-system project.

THE electric jeepney, or e-jeepney, touted to be a cleaner, safer, renewable alternative to fossil fuel-based public transport, has finally been given the green light to ply the country’s public roads.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to embark on a nationwide campaign to increase awareness and promote the country’s adventure and ecotourism destinations and activities.