Philippines Geography sem 1

• Filipinos are bilingual, making it easy for foreign tourists to communicate with locals of different destinations.
• Tourism becomes a valuable economic, social, and cultural driver.
• Two distinct types of tourism

  • International tourism - tourism that crosses national borders
  • Domestic tourism - travel made within one's country of residence.
• ECONOMIC IMPACT

  On the economic vantage point, domestic tourism contributes vastly in increasing a country's economic activity.
• Socio-cultural Aspect

  • The Philippine culture is a blend of the Malay-Polynesian, Hispanic, and western cultures with some influence from the Chinese and other Asian cultures.
  • Having Spain colonizes us for more than 300 years and the Americans thereafter, have made the Filipinos a melting pot of different cultures. With the increasing number of Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and international travel, the Filipino culture continues to evolve
• Filipinos have a very strong sense of family and kapwa. This is evident in the way we give importance to our relationships with others. The Filipinos are known to be one of the most hospitable people in the world wherein we think of others as part of themselves and their family.
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to oversee the protection of the environment in line with proposed tourism development in various areas.
• The 4 As of Tourism -need to be addressed for domestic tourism to flourish in any destination.
• Access - Land, sea, and air access to and from the destination as well as within the destination should be relatively fast and easy. They prefer to be spending time on the destination than on the bus, boat, or plane. Roads, bridges, and ports should be developed to acceptable levels to accommodate the influx of tourists
• Attractions - The main reason tourists go to a destination is because of its attractions. The attractions can be cultural/heritage/historic, natural, and/or built/man-made. There should be a good mix of these three types for good variety.
• Accommodations - There should be a wide range of accommodations that vary from budget, mid-range, and deluxe. This way, the destination can attract tourists from a wide demographic profile. Accommodations should include the most basic needs of a comfortable bed, clean toilets, and food services. Wi-Fi access is becoming a necessity for tourist to connect with their loved ones.
• Activities - The destination should also offer a variety of activities. The activities should be connected to each other with varying degrees within a similar theme. Themes would include adventure, health and wellness, medical, sports. MICE meetings, incentives, conferences, and events),
• As local tourism in the country exceeds international tourist arrivals by as much as 10 times, destination managers cannot disregard the contribution that local tourists make. Hence, activities, accommodations, and amenities should also be designed with the local tourist in mind. In fact, many tourist facilities such as hotels and resorts have acknowledged the fact that majority of its guests are local tourists.
• BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES A. Islands In The Philippines

  • Largest Island in the Philippines Luzon Island, located in the northern region of the archipelago, is the country's largest and most populous island. -42,458 square miles
  • 4 major areas - Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and the National Capital Region
  • Smallest Island in the Philippines - there is no known smallest island due to high tide and low tide variations.
  • Number of Islands : 7,641 islands
  • Length of Coastline -17,500 kilometers to 36,289kilometers
• B. Major Landforms

  • Highest Point: Mount Apo - largest and the tallest solfataric mountain on the island of Mindanao and in the entire Philippines. The mountain has an elevation of 9,692 feet and is located between the city of Davao and the province of Davao Del Sur.
  • Characterized by a tropical rainy climate with rainfall relatively distributed throughout the year. Nineteen rivers drain Mount APO's eight major watersheds.
  • Consider the mountain a sacred place and a place for worship rituals.
• • Oldest Province: Aklan
  • Minuro, Aklan is considered the oldest province in the Philippines. Records say that the province was established during the early 12th century by settlers originating from Borneo. Datu Dinagandan, who established trade with neighboring islands, was the first ruler. Kalantiaw then grabbed the throne, and his family continued to rule the province until the mid-14th century.
  • Number of Provinces: 81 Provinces as of March 31, 2018.
• Largest/Smallest Province:

  • Largest Province: Palawan
  • Palawan is the largest (land area) at 17,030.75 sq. kms.
  • Smallest Province: Batanes
  • Batanes has a land area of 203.22 sq. kms.
• C. Climate Information

  • January to May is the best
  • January to May is the best time to visit the country.
  • November to February is cool
  • March to May is hot and dry.
  • June to October is rainy
  • July and September are typhoons.
  • Average temperature is 78 degrees F/25 degrees. Average humidity is 77%.
• D. Language

  • official languages: Filipino and English. Filipino has eight major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense. Filipino, based on Tagalog, is related to Malay and Indonesian and is part of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. Filipino is the common language used between speakers of different native languages. There are about 76 to 78 major language groups, with more than 500 dialects.
• The Philippines has more than 100 ethnic groups. The more dominant ethnic groups include Tagalog, Bisaya, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilonggo, and Waray.
• The Philippine culture is a blend of the Malayo-Polynesian and Hispanic culture with the influence from Chinese, Indians, Arabs, and other Asian cultures as manifested in various customs and traditions of the Filipinos.
• Filipinos have the concept of kapwa to refer to other people as an extension of themselves. It shows on how they give Importance to their connection or relationship with other people. This is one of the roots of their being hospitable-Filipinos think of others as part of themselves and their family. This strong sense of kapwa enables Filipinos to share what they have with others, give the best place in the house for the visitors and always provide the best food for its guests.
• Religion is an integral and inseparable aspect of Filipino culture. The Philippines is known to celebrate the longest Christmas season.
• Food becomes the centerpiece of every Filipino family celebration. Filipino food throughout the regions is characterize with flavors of being salty, sour, sweet, and spicy from our Hispanic and Malay influences.
• Ilocanos are known for their simple lifestyle and strong value for money. Hard work and strong educational foundation are virtues they strive to pass on to their children.
• The Warays, situated in the Eastern Visayas Region, are often stereotyped as brave warriors, as in the popular phrase, "basta ang Waray, hindi uurong sa away." They are also known as contented people that during the Spanish occupation in the region, they were misunderstood and called lazy.
• Ilongos are very hospitable. They always provide for their guest comfort and ease at their own expenses. They are also very gentle in their ways that their quarrels do not seem like ones. Since time is not important to the llongos, they also take life as it comes.
• Mindanao is the only predominantly Muslim region in the country. Their customs and traditions are different than Luzon and Visayas. The majority of the population of Mindanao region believes in the Islam religion and submits themselves completely to the will of Allah. Communal assistance is widely practiced among the Maguindanaons and Maranaos. By custom and tradition, they are expected to help their relatives by putting in money to finance such activities as marriages, funerals, pilgrimages to Mecca, and many others.
• Mass media through radio, television, print, and more recently, social media, has provided a window to the world. New tastes, needs, and opinions are created which contributes to the destruction of traditional value systems.