PUERTO PRINCESA, 29 May 2016 - The Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, organized a successful diplomatic tour of Palawan on 25-29 May 2016.

The tour, which was arranged with the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT), the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Philippine Airlines and the travel agency Onfill, took some 30 foreign diplomats and their families, together with selected members of the Korean media, on a visit to the prominent sights of Palawan to introduce the Philippines and its culture. "We organized this tour as a follow-up to the first tour to Cebu and Bohol last year, which was so popular among our colleagues in Seoul," said Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Raul S. Hernandez, who added that a total of 12 embassies participated this time. "In fact we have gotten such a good response, it would be good to make this into a regular program." Ambassador Hernandez says his counterparts and other Seoul-based diplomats make the perfect ambassadors of goodwill for Philippine tourism considering the exposure they have at all levels of Korean society, including decision-makers, opinion-leaders, oligarchs, senior politicians and government officials, and media practitioners. Former PDOT Tourism Director and Tourism Attache to Korea Maricon Basco-Ebron said such subsidized tours, where the participants paid US$740 to cover the minimum costs of the trip, were well worth the expense. Not only do they go back to the Philippines with friends or family members, they also are more convincing in telling people about their positive experiences, she says. Lee Sung-eun, reporter for the Korea Joongang Daily, one of top English-language newspapers, said she was most impressed by the police and ambulance teams escorting the delegation because it showed "how deeply our hosts cared about our safety," adding that the local tour guides were all "down-to-earth, humorous and likeable," which made the trip more enjoyable. The participants were all praises about the beauty of Puerto Princesa, including tours to the Underground River, island hopping in Honda Bay, and visits to the Crocodile Farm, Ambassador Hernandez recalled after his return to Seoul. With the success of this trip, he said he intends to organize another tour for Korean businessmen interested in trading or investing in the Philippines. South Korea accounted for more than 1.3 million tourists from the total number of less than 5 million arrivals to the Philippines in 2015. In terms of visitor spending, Koreans accounted for a total of PHP4.09 billion (US$88.6 million) spent for the month of March 2016 alone. Korea Joongang Daily's Lee had an article published in her paper on 2 June 2016, while in the Korea Times on 6 June 2016 in an article written by another reporter in the tour, Rachel Lee.