PH diving spots showcased in Italy

Hoping to attract more European divers, the Department of Tourism (DOT) promoted the Philippines’ world-renowned diving spots at the European Dive Show (Eudi 2017) in Bologna, Italy, over the weekend.

DOT Undersecretary Katherine Chloe de Castro, head of the delegation, said the Philippines’ presence at Eudi 2017 also intended to establish partnerships with tourism bodies, underwater photography clubs and dive tour operators of Europe.

According to the DOT, Italy alone boasts of 350,000 active divers, and the Philippines hopes to lure them to visit the country’s diving spots.

“On top of being at the heart of the Coral Triangle, we boast of a veritable smorgasbord of sites that appeal to the different preferences of the amateur and professional divers. More importantly, our ‘More Fun’ brand will work to amplify our must-experience proposition,” De Castro said in a statement.
Biodiversity

During the three-day show, presentations highlighting the biodiversity of the Philippine depths were led by world-renowned underwater photographers Marcello di Francesco, Pietro Cremone and Erik Karl Goossens.

According to the DOT, many visitors were drawn to the Philippine booth to experience the Underwater 360 interactive tours through virtual reality technology. Participating dive tour operators also received interesting queries for the exciting dive packages for sale at the venue.

Eudi organizers hoped to exceed the 2016 record of 220 top-level exhibitors representing leading brands of dive products and services, dive clubs, tourism and marine conservation organizations, and over 39,000 participants just from Europe.

Visitors from Italy registered 25,945 in 2016, up by 20 percent from the previous year. The DOT hopes to tap into the dive population, which has about 40 percent or 120,000 divers regularly traveling outbound.

With the growing air connectivity between continents, eyes are set on novel, long-haul and emerging dive destinations such as the Philippines, the tourism department said.

The Philippine delegation included officials of the National Association of Diving Operators of Italy and Diving Equipment Association of Italy; and Team Dive Philippines consisting of Gerry Panga of DOT London, Rita Doctor and Gary Politico of DOT Central, representatives of Buceo Anilao, Asia Holidays and H20 Viaggi.

The United Kingdom’s Scuba Travel site says the best time to dive in the Philippines is probably between December and April. During the monsoon season from June to September dive, spots open in places that are not so accessible for diving in the drier months.
Best dive spots

The Islands of the Philippines website names the 10 best dive spots in the Philippines as follows: Apo Island in Dauin, Negros Oriental; Monad Shoal in Malapascua, Cebu; Anilao in Batangas; the World War II wrecks in Coron Bay, Palawan; Barracuda Lake in Coron Island, also in Palawan; Ticao Pass in Masbate; Puerto Galera in Mindoro; the Tubbataha Reef National Park in Sulu Sea; Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; and Blue Hole in Romblon.