LESS than three months after the Puerto
Princesa Underground River (PPUR) was named as one of the New Seven Wonders of
Nature, tourist arrivals in the capital of Palawan province have increased
dramatically and travelers are now advised to book at least a month ahead of
their planned visit.
Mayor Edward Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa City said that the number of tourists who want to visit the underground river has more than tripled, based on the records of the city government.
He added that there were only 12,000 tourists visiting the underground river in 1992 and it increased to 160,000 in 2007, but when the river was provisionally included as one of the Seven Wonders of Nature in 2011, the number of visitors jumped to 515,000.
“We expect that the tourist volume will double in 2012,” the mayor said. “While it is good news to have such a huge increase [in] visitors, we also want to make sure that the PPUR remains protected.”
Hagedorn added that the city government has imposed a tourist limit at the underground river in a bid to protect it and its surrounding areas.
The city government is only issuing 700 permits for the underground river per day, so visitors are advised to arrange for their permits a month in advance.
“As much as possible, we want to accommodate all visitors in the underground river. However, we also want to protect the ecosystem in the area. That is why we have imposed the limit,” Hagedorn said at a weekly news forum of the Philippine Information Agency.
He added that the city government has already written a letter to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) asking their expert opinion on how many tourists should be allowed inside the cave in a day.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1999.
Visitors who will not be able to get a permit and enter the cave, Hagedorn said, can check out other places in Puerto Princesa that are worth visiting, like the Honda Bay islands, the Ugong rock, the mangrove river cruise and the Irawan eco-park, which houses the longest zip line ride in Southeast Asia at 1.3 kilometers.
“There are other equally beautiful destinations in Puerto Princesa, but if they really want to visit the underground river it would be better if they will make the arrangement early,” he added.
Jefferson
Antiporda
manilatimes.net
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