This tourist destination that needs to feel the love again.
Business establishments in Puerto Princesa City, the capital city of Palawan, are feeling the pinch of a “low season” that has dragged on for the last five months.
“The trend is a stark reversal of the travel boom after the city’s main attraction, the Underground River, was declared one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011. Unprecedented tourist traffic triggered a frenzy of hotel constructions and related investments in Puerto Princesa,” reports Redempto D. Anda in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
For starters, many tourists “proceed immediately to other destinations, particularly El Nido town in northern Palawan” while others fly directly to Coron.
The report likewise cited a study commissioned by the US Agency for International Development in 2014, which pointed out the many problems facing the various destinations in Puerto Princesa.
The report discussed “the poor quality of attractions and products,” as well as “the absence of facilities, such as public toilets.”
In any case, Puerto Princesa businessmen are hopeful that the new airport being completed in the town of San Vicente, which is just an hour’s drive north of the city, would eventually bring in more tourists.
The said airport is expected to be open to charter flights soon. Earlier reports had announced the target date for airport operations to start in Q3 of this year.
Our hot tip? If you’ve already seen the Underground River, you can always have a selfie with a giant lizard, or check out a kick-ass pearl weighing 34kg and possibly the biggest of its kind in the world.
