Enchanted Kingdom Gives 17 New Reasons to Come Back and See Its Magic

Written By
KC Canlas

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When in Manila, and you want to experience the “magic”, Enchanted Kingdom is the place to be — the country’s world class theme park where kids and kids at heart have fun and excitement under one roofless location.

This September 2012, Enchanted Kingdom celebrated its 17th anniversary. How time really flies when you’re having fun. I still remember the first time me and my family went to this magical place. That’s probably over a decade ago now. Enchanted Kingdom made it possible to have a taste of premiere theme park experience without flying out of the country.

Looking back, some of the rides I used to love are still at the park. For one, the super thrilling Space Shuttle is still standing majestic in one corner of Enchanted Kingdom but it was renamed as “Space Shuttle Max” that sports new coach rides from Holland. If you have been in this theme park and have not taken a shot at the Space Shuttle Max then you’re missing out a lot. Space Shuttle Max is a triple loop roller coaster ride that is not for the faint of heart.

Space Shuttle Max

One of the Three Loops of Space Shuttle Max, Riders Upside-Down

Another ride that gives me the chills but still enjoy taking is Anchors Away. This large anchor swings back and forth for a couple of minutes, making your stomach flip the same way.

Anchors Away

A chill ride in Enchanted Kingdom that can be relaxing for most but scary for people with acrophobia is the Wheel of Fate. This Ferris wheel used to be the king in terms of size in thePhilippines until the Mall of Asia Eye was opened. Still, the Wheel of Fate is an icon in this theme park. According to them, there have been several momentous “yes” answered back on this ride. The question is “Will you marry me?” and its variants. Sweet!

Wheel of Fate

In celebration of its 17 fun years of existence, Enchanted Kingdom gives everyone 17 additional reasons to witness its magic. From a new ride to new enchanting amenities, there will be something from these 17 reasons that will make you want to see Enchanted Kingdom again.

17 New Reasons to Visit Enchanted Kingdom

The inauguration of these 17 reasons was marked by a media event entitled “Spinning and Rocking at 17 – The NEW MAGIC Begins..” and opening of their newest ride called DISK-O-MAGIC.

Spinning and Rocking at 17 – The NEW MAGIC Begins at Enchanted Kingdom

DISK-O-MAGIC is a family ride that literally does what Enchanted Kingdom has been doing for the past 17 years, spinning and rocking. It’s a one-of-a-kind ride that will make your heart beat faster. Woohoo!

DISK-O-MAGIC

Testing the DISK-O-MAGIC

When in Manila, the magic is only a 2-hour drive to Laguna, where Enchanted Kingdomis.

 When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com to complete your trip.

Tourism sector eyes bigger market

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By Mia A. Aznar

AS THE World Tourism Organization sees the Asia Pacific region as the next region to see in 10 to 20 years, local tourism stakeholders are aiming to get the Philippines on the large global tourism market.

Research, Education and Institutional Development (REID) Foundation vice president Cherrylyn Rodolfo, who presented to local stakeholders the state of Philippine tourism, said the country is ready to take advantage of this due to its strategic location in the Asia Pacific region and in Southeast Asia.

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The Asia Pacific region has an annual tourism growth rate of 6.3 percent while Southeast Asian countries grew 6.8 percent.

She said that if the Philippines wants to catch up with its neighbors, it has to come up with new products to offer tourists. Rodolfo said the country had a “dismal performance” from 1980 to 2010.

They learned that it takes a visitor several years to realize his desire to travel to the Philippines. When they determined to find out why, she said there were indications that tourism suppliers had to turn guests away at certain times of the year due to a lack of capacity to accommodate them.

There is also a lack of products to lure them.

These, she said, were mostly during peak season.

Constraints

“So even if the Philippines was number one in their list, the visit was not realized because of the constraints they faced,” said Rodolfo.

Still, she believes the landscape of Philippine tourism is about to change, with the government completing its National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) to come up with competitive tourism products, enhance connectivity and strengthen governance.

Rodolfo noted that in the product portfolio of the Philippines, which are sun and beach, culture, nature and cruise and nautical tourism, Cebu is able to offer all of these. “The question now is, do we want to part of that growth or are we content to watch at the sidelines?” she told those present.

Following the NTDP, she said some provinces have begun setting up their own tourism plan. Rodolfo said Cebu seems to have a major role for many of these provinces.

She explained that the Mactan-Cebu International Airport serves as a major gateway to many provinces and that the success of these destinations will also depend on how well the airport is positioned. She was glad to hear of the plans to expand it and added that the airport still has room for expansion so that it can serve other tourism development areas.

Rodolfo cited Bohol as a province that considers its linkage with Cebu as critical to their tourism plans and that there have been moves to work on tourism loops similar to what Hong Kong and Macau have. She said this can be explored by improving the ferry services and the port facilities and offering online bookings.

Competitors

Despite Cebu’s critical role in the development of other provinces, Rodolfo warned that even if they can be allies, these other provinces could also become competitors if Cebu does not work on its own tourism plan. Currently, there are plans to complete an international airport in Panglao, Bohol while other airports are also being improved. She added that Iloilo, which is the third busiest airport in the country, currently has no international flights. However, it will start its international flight to and from Hong Kong by November.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com the new retirement paradise in the South.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on September 28, 2012.

Explore Nepal, Mt. Everest and the Himalayas

Written By
Hannah Villasis

*This is a pre-trip post.

When In Manila, just take two flights and visit Nepal! 

Visiting other countries is much easier now, thanks to the availability of more flights from different airline companies in the Philippines!  AirAsia flew its first trip from Kuala Lumpur toNepal last July 3, 2012.  So all you need to do to visit the birthplace of Buddha, Mt. Everest and the Himalayas is to book a flight to KL and from there, fly to Nepal!

Plane ticket to Kathmandu

I bought my ticket from Manila to Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu and back at a total of P20,000.  Watch out for seat sales because you can get Nepal flights at only P5,000 ++ back and forth.

Visit our neighboring tourist attractions!  Ever dreamed of seeing Mt. Everest? – Earth’s highest mountain with a peak at 8.8k meters!  This was my childhood dream that I thought would never come true, but yours truly will  visit this beautiful place in October!  I’m sharing this with you so you would know that visiting Nepal is more accessible now and can definitely fit in your budget!

photo by: Erik Torner

Hotel Accommodation in Nepal via Agoda.com

You can visit the numerous Hotel Booking services online, but there’s one website I personally recommend to you.  Based on personal experience, I recommend doing your bookings with Agoda.com 

When in Cebu City, Philippines please visit also gregmelep.com for your retirement needs.