Newsletter_March-April '10 Save PDF - Philippines Bases ...

Summer FeatureHoly Week arrivals rise at Subic BayWorld-class facilities,easy access and uniqueexperience bring morevisitors to SubicSUBIC BAY FREEPORT – “Fully-booked and fi lled to therafters.” This was how tourism facility operators describedthe Subic Bay Freeport as they noted the huge volume ofvisitors that arrived here during the recent Holy Week.Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (SBFCCI)president Danny Piano said that all of the hotels andhousing facilities in the free port had registered a 100percent occupancy rate during the Holy Week.“All the hotels and housing facilities in the free port werealready occupied as early as Wednesday. And thosewho couldn’t fi nd a room here stayed in Olongapo Cityor Subic town,” noted Piano, who himself was not able tobook some rooms for his guests who arrived from Manilaon Holy Thursday.Piano said that although there is almost no new attractionin the Subic Bay area, the popularity of the place as atourism destination in the region is already a byword.“You can compare Subic to Hong Kong, which introducesnothing new to tourists. Like the popularity of Hong Kongas a shoppers’ haven, the Subic experience has alreadyspread by word of mouth among travelers,” Pianoexplained.He added that most of the visitors from Metro Manila andCentral Luzon were looking for a destination that provideseasy access, world-class but affordable accommodations,shopping facilities, and a clean and secure environment.“All these they could fi nd in Subic,” Piano noted.According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)deputy administrator for business Raul Marcelo, theconvenience provided by the Subic-Clark-TarlacExpressway (SCTEX) continues to drive tourism in the SubicBay area.Citing statistics releases by the Bases Conversion andDevelopment Authority (BCDA), Marcelo said that atotal of 34,128 vehicles entered the Subic Bay Freeportfrom March 28 to April 4, bringing in an estimated136,552 visitiors based on a conservative estimate of fourpassengers per vehicle.“While some of these vehicles just passed through theFreeport on their way to Olongapo City, Subic town orother places in Zambales, a lot have returned here for theduty-free shops, night life and entertainment, theme parks,and even their favorite food,” Marcelo noted.Marcelo added that this year’s visitors were either regularvisitors, or may have heard about Subic’s popular Lententradition.The Holy Week activities included a re-enactmetn of theentry of Jesus to Jerusalem, which Catholics refer tocontinuation on page 12Visitors swarmed to the Subic Bay Freeportduring the Holy Week, attracted by world-classaccommodations and facilities, aswell as traditionalLenten activities.