CamSur, Philippine tourism seen getting boost with ‘Survivor’ show

Caramoan Islands has emerged as a top destination for watersports enthusiasts all over the world, and was recently chosen as one of the 10 best islands and beaches in the Philippines by CNNGo, a television and online travel magazine of CNN, the largest international cable news network in the world. Photo by Don Lejano/INQUIRER.net

NAGA CITY—Philippine tourism could not have gotten a bigger boost than this.

It’s now official. The location of the 25th season of the hit reality TV show “Survivor US,” one of the highest-rating shows in the United States, is Caramoan Islands in Camarines Sur.

This was announced by Jeff Probst, the show’s host, during the broadcast of the show’s season 24 finale to a live audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on May 13.

Probst said the 25th season, dubbed as “Survivor: Philippines,” recently wrapped up filming in Caramoan Islands.

The shoot, which started in March of this year, involved some 400 locals hired by the show’s producers, said Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund “Lray” Villafuerte.

He said they have been tirelessly promoting Caramoan Islands since 2004. “We really worked hard for this. We did everything possible to get the nod of the producers of this reality TV show.”

The show had from 13 million to almost 30 million viewers, with the highest viewership during the 2000-2001 season, when it ranked No. 1, said Villafuerte.

He said “this means enormous exposure worldwide for Caramoan Islands and Camarines Sur in particular, and the Philippines in general, and would certainly boost our tourism potential.”

He said seasonal rankings, based on the average total number of viewers per episode of the US version on CBS TV network, show that “Survivor” has been consistently on the top 20 most watched shows through its first 18 seasons and from season 21 to present.

What is considered as the show’s comeback season would start airing this September in the US on CBS.

Caramoan Islands has emerged as a top destination for watersports enthusiasts all over the world, and was recently chosen as one of the 10 best islands and beaches in the Philippines by CNNGo, a television and online travel magazine of CNN, the largest international cable news network in the world.

It is not the first time the rugged but scenic Caramoan Islands, known for its fine white sand, turquoise waters and lush vegetation and jungle areas, served as a location for a “Survivor” series.

In 2008, it was the location for the show’s French edition, followed by the Israel, Bulgaria and Serbia editions in 2009. The Sweden edition was shot there in 2010, followed in 2011 by the Denmark, Norway, Belgium and India editions.

It would also not be the last time, as the show’s 26th season would also be shot in Caramoan Islands, said Villafuerte.

The show’s 25th and 26th seasons combined would amount to over 30 hours of broadcast in primetime television in the US of the beauty of Caramoan and the Philippines.