Spa resorts, plant and animal farms to boost tourism pride

The lay of the land and overflowing natural resources continue to attract millions of tourists to the Philippines every year.

As Philippine destinations draw visitors from all over the world, the tourism industry further booms as entrepreneurs find ways to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage and colorful traditions.

The Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship will pay tribute to tourism pillars Evangeline "Gellie" Mariñas-Garcia, Jomar Fleras, Conrado Escudero, Vicky Wallace and Robert Yupangco for their contributions to the tourism industry. Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. will also be cited.

They are five of the most inspiring tourism entrepreneurs who will be given awards by President Arroyo and PCE founder and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III during the Go Negosyo Turismo Expo that ends tomorrow at the SM Mall of Asia.

Most Filipinos love to take time off in distant locations, far from the bustling streets of the metro.

With the proliferation of saunas, spa centers and resorts in the country, expensive European trips can take a back seat.

Who would think that a former swampy piece of real estate that was mostly ravine and gravel would turn out to be the Callospa and Farm Resort?

Callospa and Farm Resort was the creative upshot of Evangeline "Gellie" Mariñas-Garcia whose love for entrepreneurship helped shape one of the popular resorts in the country today.

Callospa and Farm resort changed the people’s view of typical spa parlors after it was reinvented in an exquisite rainforest setting that offers an affordable but complete range of spa services with the best-trained masseurs and masseuses.

They also provide the convenience of credit card facilities, fully-furnished houses for extended stays with maid and driver services, rental cars for airport service and a travel agency for farther locales.

"Spa development is a costly venture but I comforted myself knowing that I can provide a wholesome alternative that does not center on profit alone," Gellie said. "Indeed, quality is always a good investment."

Callospa is a founding member of the Spa Association of the Philippines that ensures that our local spas are world-class and globally competitive. Spa Association head Jomar Fleras is no stranger to entrepreneurship himself as he owns Sanctuario Spa, the no. 1 spa in the Philippines hailed by the Consumers Choice Awards in 2005 and 2006 Asia’s Most Innovative Spa by the Global Excellence Awards.

Also a member of the International SPA Association (ISPA), Fleras embarked on the spa business after realizing that the Philippines can have its own unique style of healing tradition. While most spa parlors engage in mimicking spa traditions in Indonesia, Thailand and Japan, Fleras wanted to bring forth "the Filipino brand of Spa."

So he incorporated our own traditional hilot in Sanctuario Spa, which also makes use of homegrown ingredients like the Virgin Coconut Oil, herbs and spices and local body scrubs made of organic Batangas coffee, coconut, local tsokolate and Palawan kelp.

"I opened Sanctuario on a wing and a prayer," Fleras said, believing that the Philippines can be considered a wellness destination if it has a distinct spa culture. His first Sanctuario outlet was put up in 1829 at Jorge Bocobo Street in the bohemian outskirts of Malate, Manila after transforming an ancestral mansion into a sprawling spa complex.

Now, Sanctuario has also sprouted in Canyon Woods, a posh residential resort, White Rock Resort Hotel in Subic Bay, Zambales, with two new branches soon to open in Quezon City and Subic Bay Freeport.

As president of the Spa Association, Fleras is active at advocating "the Filipino brand of Spa" with the help of the Department of Tourism, the Department of Health and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care.

He continues to elevate his hilot procedure as he promotes, standardizes and demonstrates it in Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Moscow.

With the same persistence to uphold Filipino produce, Conrado Escudero’s unrelenting promotion of Filipino coconut products inspired him to build one of the country’s premier tourist destinations, the Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort.

Over the years, Escudero’s family has become one of the pillars of the coconut industry. Escudero even worked as US representative of the Association of Philippine Coconut Desiccators, which supplied the bulk of American imports of Philippine desiccated coconut.

Armed with his fervent appreciation of Philippine culture and tradition, Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort began its operations in 1981. Back then, it started with only two employees with a few tables for business transactions.

Today, it is already a recognized landmark spot where important gatherings and international conventions of respectable leaders and heads of state are held. Set in the natural environment at the foothills of Mt. Banahaw, Quezon, Villa Escudero has about 32 units of overnight accommodations done in native style, a modern conference center that can seat 200, a Wedding Pavilion complex and sports facilities amidst the coconut groves.

For further development, Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort has entered into a joint venture with Landco Pacific to develop the entire property into a mixed-use tourism estate with residential, high-end hotel, spa, medical tourism, sports and educational components.

An advocate of organic farming and a self-confessed insect-lover, 44-year old Vicky Wallace has become the most sought after figure in Bohol. Buying a 4.8-hectare property to pursue her love for farming and successfully establishing the Bohol Bee Farm as part of her organic advocacy, she could proudly say that farming is so far the best thing that has happened in her life.

A foremost supporter of companion planting that allows the growth of different kinds of indigenous materials near the vegetable gardens, Wallace urges that having insects which most farmers regard as pests is not at all an alarming issue.

In fact she tolerates having these shelters and nesting places for insects near her plots of plants, saying that it is lovely to live harmoniously on the farm with other creatures.

Robert Yupangco, on the other hand, developed a tie-up with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to develop a 25-hectare forest land into an animal kingdom. Dubbed as "Zoobic Safari Adventure," this P80-million project formed part of the 50-hectare "Forest Adventure" being developed inside the first-rate Subic Bay Freeport.

More than having the Tiger Safari that will showcase more than a dozen deep golden-eyed tigers, the Petting Zoo that will allow visitors to mingle with diverse exotic animals, the Crocodile farm that features thick-skinned long-bodied carnivorous reptiles and the Serpentarium that will present a wide array of snake breeds, there are also Safari-inspired picnic cottages that can be rented out to guests.

Creating major impact in Camarines Sur, Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. will also be given special citation at the Go Negosyo Turismo expo for uniquely changing the tides of trade and sports tourism in the region. Wakeboarding, knee boarding, water skiing and wake skating were introduced by the governor in Camarines Sur, making the province a haven of significant conventions, annual gatherings, parade and other extreme sports events.