Tourism chief urges follow-up on Palawan Underground River’s win

Tourism promotions and environmental protection measures must be strengthened following the triumph of Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN), Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. urged. “Now, however, the real work begins, as there is more reason than ever to strengthen environmental protection measures, optimize accommodation and touring capacities, and the like," said Jimenez. “We look forward to working on these with our local government and private sector partners." Jimenez said the intensified campaign of the Department of Tourism (DOT) for the underground river’s N7WN bid resulted in a significant increase in foreign and local visitors with 196,959 visitors this year as compared to 172,827 last year. The New 7 Wonders of Nature describes the Puerto Princesa Underground River as reputedly the world’s longest underground river system, featuring an 8.2-kilometer navigable river through an impressive limestone landscape. The Philippine natural wonder joins the Amazon River in South America, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil, Jeju Island in South Korea, Komodo in Indonesia, and Table Mountain in South Africa on the exclusive list after a two-year vote among 28 finalists that concluded last Nov. 11. He underscored the need to increase room capacity of hotels to optimize guest accommodations and for environmental protection measures to safeguard the natural beauty of the underground river. — MRT/ELR, GMA News