SEOUL-BASED DIPLOMATS AND BUSINESSMEN CAPTIVATED BY BORACAY AND MANILA

The first leg of the tour was Boracay where the participants were treated to a wide array of marine activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling and sailing while enjoying the spectacular island sunset. Madame Maria Ana Hernandez, spouse of Ambassador Hernandez, took part in scuba diving with several of the participants. Other activities included buggy car riding, a visit to the nearby island of Sunset Cove and relaxing spa and lava stone massage treatments during the 3 nights and 4 days stay at the top rated and luxurious Lind Hotel Boracay.

The tour concluded with a one-day stopover in Manila where the participants experienced a calesa ride in the Walled City of Intramuros. They also visited the Jose Rizal Shrine at Luneta Park before heading to Mall of Asia for shopping for traditional handicrafts at Kultura Filipino.

In keeping with one of the tour's objectives to promote the Philippines' culinary heritage, the participants enjoyed dining at three of Manila's popular traditional Filipino restaurants, namely "Ilustrado" and "Barbara's Heritage Restaurant" located in Intramuros, and "Crisostomo's Filipino Restaurant" at Blue Wave, Macapagal Avenue.

At the conclusion of the successful tour, Ambassador Hernandez declared that "the tour had exceeded expectations noting that the turnout of participants was the highest since the tour started in 2015 despite being scheduled during the travel peak season and the tour's pricey package premium."

The tour likewise garnered praise from the participants. In her soon to be released article, Ms. Ha Young Choi, political reporter of the Korea Times, noted in glowing terms that "Once you arrive in a port in Boracay, you should take off your shoes to fully enjoy the soft sand of the island's iconic White Beach. The island is full of diverse leisure. You can enjoy snorkeling to take a glimpse of the beautiful sea. After having dinner at the restaurants along the coast, imagine a bottle of San Miguel beer with a beach view. Once the place lights up, it's quite romantic. The moon and the stars are exceptionally shining in the clean air."

Brazilian Ambassador Luis Fernando Serra was all praises for the tour, remarking that "We are very grateful to the Philippine Embassy in Seoul for making us a part of this tour. What we loved about it were the excellent hotel, sumptuous meals, wonderful tourist attractions and warm hospitality of the Filipinos." The Brazilian Ambassador added, "I would like to congratulate the Philippine Ambassador on this successful tour and hope that we could have more occasions to travel to other parts of the Philippines, besides the fantastic island of Boracay."

This tour of Boracay and Manila is a follow-up to the two tours conducted in Palawan and Manila in May 2016 and in Bohol and Cebu the prior year. The group's itinerary was organized in coordination with the Tourism Promotions Board and Land Master Rising Tour Corporation. The Philippine Embassy, through the Department of Tourism's Representative Office in Seoul, conducts the biannual familiarization tour to promote greater awareness of the prime tourist destinations in the Philippines and to showcase the Philippines' rich culture, history and culinary heritage.

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