Image courtesy Martyn Willes

Living Asia, one of Asia’s premier travel & tourism promoters, spent a week during May discovering the travel & tourism investment opportunities and activities in the province of Davao Del Norte. Their production will premiere in the Philippines and Asia-wide on cable and television channels during August, 2010.

The Living Asia crew traveled throughout Davao Del Norte and: experienced, the beautiful rivers, beaches and waterways; learned the myriad of ways to use bananas (ripe and ruined), grasses and other fruits; explored plantations, factories and ports; and, they discovered the sometimes surprising history of this vibrant and culture-rich corner of the Philippines.

Image courtesy Martyn Willes

The new airport - Laguindingan International Airport - under construction in barangay Moog, Laguindingan, is currently a scar on the landscape on the northern tip of Misamis Oriental. It is expected that this new airport will become a major hub for export of agricultural and trade products, and for the import of tourists to the areas around Cagayan De Oro and Iligan City.

As you fly North from Davao to Cebu you may see Laguindingan International Airport off the port wingtip (you have to sit in an “A” seat). The photograph accompanying this new airport news item was taken just a few weeks ago and shows the runway all but complete, with only the runway direction numbers missing.

Image courtesy Martyn Willes

The impending opening of a new marina on Samal Island confirms that the island is maturing into an all-round water sports destination. The all new Holiday Oceanview Marina will open its pontoons for visiting yachts from August, 2010.

GetWet has been watching the development of the Holiday Oceanview Marina since it first came onto our radar three years ago. As with most things on Samal Island, it has taken a lot longer than originally envisaged to reach a stage of functionality. Along with the adjacent property development and sub-division, the new marina is an integral part of a water sports vacation destination, about 30-minutes from Davao International Airport.

Image courtesy Busuanga Yacht Club

Finally, a new yacht club has opened in the Philippines: Busuanga Yacht Club. Located on Busuanga Island, Palawan, the Busuanga Yacht Club is attached to the Puerto Del Sol Resort, in the municipality of Conception, on the southwest corner of Busuanga.

If you are sailing, the Busuanga Yacht Club offers a perfect stopover on routes leading to either, the East or West coast Palawan passage to/from East Malaysia or, cruising the beautiful waters of the Palawan archipelago.

Photo courtesy John Smart

Cebu Pacific Air has announced that from 27th April, 2010, it will fly from Cebu (Mactan Cebu International Airport) to Pagadian City, the first airline to do so since the Pagadian airport was refurbished in 2009. Pagadian airport opens the heart of Zamboanga del Sur and brings the best of Zamboanga del Sur’s beaches, islands, rivers & waterfalls within reach of adventure holiday seekers worldwide.

Pagadian is famous as the multi-cultural city that has not become a melting-pot, instead the diverse cultures, that span many centuries and religions, have each preserved their unique heritage at the same time as living together in harmony and prosperity.

Photo courtesy Aware Aventures

Across the Internet there are a lot of websites promoting adventure holidays / adventure vacations but there are actually very few companies focusing on Philippine adventure holidays, and even fewer that offer more than a couple of adventure sports within a given package tour, so Australian based Aware Adventures is somewhat unique and deserves a mention.

Aware Adventures offer Philippine adventure holidays, starting in the heart of the Visayas, and take adventurers from Cebu to Bohol Island to Camiguin Island to Cagayan de Oro and back to Cebu. Over a period of twelve days adventure sports included: white water rafting, ziplining, rappelling, climbing, swimming, trekking, camping, caving, abseiling, kayaking, mountain biking and snorkeling.

Photo courtesy Hof Gorei Beach Resort

Samal Island is now on the Internet with its own beach resort webcam.

MyCam-Asia.tv - a free travel services website that provides real-time advertising and promotion for tourist destinations around Asia - yesterday announced the installation of the first IP camera (webcam) on Samal Island, overlooking the tropical garden beach resort vista at the Hof Gorei Beach Resort.

The view from the Hof Gorei Beach Resort webcam looks almost West from Samal Island, across the superb snorkelling and scuba diving waters of the Davao Gulf and to Mount Apo - the highest peak in the Philippines.

Photo courtesy Martyn Willes

During Typhoon Mirinae ferry services from and to Batangas Port were suspended and the ferry boats sought shelter in Puerto Galera. By the middle of the evening the bay was full to overflowing with ro-ro ferries and cargo ships of all shapes and sizes. The Puerto Galera Yacht Club moorings were also full as sailing yachts, that arrived ahead of the storm, took up residence in preparation for attending the All Souls Regatta.

Unfortunately, the corals were to suffer from the anchors and chains dropped by these ferries but it is the only safe place to weather a storm for 50 miles in any direction.

Photo courtesy MyCam-Asia.tv

Taal Lake is now on the Internet with its own webcam.

Last year we introduced you to MyCam-Asia.tv - a free travel services website that provides real-time advertising and promotion for tourist destinations around Asia. Yesterday MyCam-Asia.tv announced the installation of their latest IP camera (webcam) in the grounds of the Taal Lake Yacht Club, Taal Lake, Batangas.

The view from the Taal Lake webcam shows the northwest vent of Taal volcano, the one that most people assume (incorrectly) is the main crater of Taal volcano, and the volcano tours boats of the Taal Lake Yacht Club . . . ready in waiting to take tourists on volcano tours.

Photo by Bernadette Villaluz

New free Internet tools now available for those asking the question “how to fly to . . . in the Philippines” but don’t which airline or who to ask.

Don’t waste hours waiting on-hold on the telephone, trying to contact an airline that doesn’t go where you want to go, instead follow this free How To Fly To link and simply select your From/To route, then click “Show”. Within less than one second you will be shown ALL the of the airlines that fly your selected route; click on the airline logo of you choice to get the direct link to the airline’s on-line booking page.

In addition to answering the How To Fly To question