Get the Royal Treatment at Puerto Princesa: Paradise in the Philippines

Puerto Princesa is poised to once again welcome tourists with open arms in the new normal. This highly urbanized city/tourist haven was paralyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic, then was pummeled by Typhoon Odette. But now, with strict safety protocols in place, Puerto Princesa is now on the road to recovery. Read more on how you can get the royal treatment at Puerto Princesa — a tropical paradise in Palawan, Philippines.

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Rediscovering Puerto Princesa in Palawan for its spectacularly scenic, romantic, and gastronomic attractions. “The tourism industry is the lifeblood of Puerto Princesa, along with agriculture. Almost 15,000 people directly or indirectly benefit from tourism. In varying degrees, most of the recent construction and development projects are related to tourism: hotel-building, parks, cruise-ship ports, street lights, roads, and many more. Unfortunately, some of these have been on hold since the onset of the pandemic,” discloses Demetrio “Toto” Alvior Jr., the city tourism officer.

The Royal Connection at Puerto Princesa

Puerto Princesa is the capital of postcard-perfect Palawan. It sprawling land area covers 253,982 hectares of captivating coastlines that stretch over 106 kilometers.

Due to its strategic geographical location, it has sufficient depth to allow ships of all sizes to anchor, earning the reputation as a “Princess of Ports,” or in Spanish, “Puerto Princesa.”

”There’s no contention that Puerto Princesa is one of the country’s greatest pleasures. A holiday destination universally beloved by travelers, beach-combers, and trekkers; a bustling business center with a rural allure; a provincial vibe with modern amenities; and a clean and green city recognized for its lush forests, fresh air, and frontier character.

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Rising Above the Covid-19 Pandemic

Everyone felt the crunch of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Palawan was not spared. The city of Puerto Princesa had been struggling to get back on its feet since the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020.

The lack of tourists, which was the main industry, has forced hundreds of tourism-related businesses to close. On their wake, thousands of tourism workers were left unemployed. “The public health crisis forced them to find alternative sources of income, which was made more difficult because of the restrictions of movement due to several lockdowns,” Mr. Alvior reveals. “One factor of low tourist arrivals is the fluctuating number of Covid cases, which in turn affects the determination of quarantine requirements and national government intervention policies.”

Today, Puerto Princesa is experiencing record lows in terms of economic losses, losing around P5 billion a year for the past two years from potential tourist receipts.

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Tapping Social Media

“The City Tourism Department has been strengthening its social media campaigns to encourage local tourists to visit local attractions, in a bid to boost much-needed revenues to the ailing tourism sector,” a cautiously optimistic Mr. Alvior says. “We have one important wish in the City Tourism Department, and that is to prioritize the aids for the Typhoon Odette-affected tourism industry here.

”The goal is to regain the city’s glory as an eco-tourism capital. “Our 2022 goals [include] full restoration of all the tourist attractions affected by Typhoon Odette such as the completion of the construction of the cruise-ship port and other man-made tourist attractions. There will be wide, extensive, and aggressive promotions of Puerto Princesa to the local and international market.”

The Last Frontier

Puerto Princesa has a plethora of tourist spots. But majority of tourists who visit the city always put the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, one of the New7Wonders of Nature, on top of their list.

Meanwhile, as the jump-off point for exploring the world-famous Tubbataha Reef, the city also hosts a fair share of adventurers. “Since the Covid-19 outbreak, we have never ceased to hope that the future will be better. This year 2022 is no different. And while what we want is a full recovery, we cannot afford to be careless when taking big steps. As we begin to truly understand the gravity of the situation, we also come to realize that our moves must be consistent with the bigger picture such as the national situation,” Mr. Alvior says.

Since February 10, the city has been happily welcoming more visitors once again, hoping that the arrival numbers will soon be back to pre-pandemic levels. In this initiative, the tourism department shares the privilege with the private sector.

“While the government is the administrator of the State, the private sector is the bloodline. The government and the private sector are two inseparable factors for Puerto Princesa to prosper, and more importantly, to recover,” Mr. Alvior says.

“The key to recovery is to enable and support the private sector to keep or resume their business operations. When it comes to the city’s biggest partners, apart from government agencies, it is the collective impact of small-business operations.”

Puerto Princesa may be “The Last Frontier,” but the City Tourism Department is confident that it will always be the first choice of every traveler.