WHILE it’s still summer, we recently had our summer outing with my friends along the coast of Zambales town. Despite the heat of the summer breeze, we hit the road to travel a few hours to our destination. Perhaps due to the season, there are a lot of vehicles which were apparently going into their getaways like us.
Said vehicles are filled with people dressed for the summer with their bags stacked up the roof of some. It was quite apparent that they are going to the beach too or to some leisure resorts.
During summer, a lot of summer vacationers from Central Luzon and even from Metro Manila head to the Western part of the region particularly to the provinces of Bataan and Zambales where there are a great number of resorts, hotels and other places of interests to visit.
Bataan, aside from its clean beaches, has historical places worthy to be visited not only by the older generations but also the young. Mt. Samat is one of the national landmarks that is frequently visited, where a giant concrete cross was built atop the said mountain.
Otherwise known as the Dambana ng Kagitingan or the Shrine of Valor, it was the place where Filipino and American soldiers fighting the Japanese took their last stand.
There are other places in the province which serve as memoirs of the war, Bataan being the last one to surrender to the invaders during the Second World War. These tourism sites would not only provide enjoyment to visitors but also education on the past events.
As a peninsula, the province has a lot of pristine beaches that are considered as favorite for swimming and water sport activities.
Zambales on the other hand is a coastal province that stretches from Olongapo City to Sta. Cruz town, the boundary to the province of northwestern Pangasinan.
As a coastal province, it is lined-up up with beaches and resorts that would definitely provide fun to tourists taking a dip either in seawater or swimming pools. Although Olongapo is now a highly urbanized city, it is a part of the province until it became independent in terms of political jurisdiction.
The city provides the gateway to the Subic Freeport Zone where duty-free shops, hotels, restaurants, malls and beach resorts are aplenty. The economic zone is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Central and Northern Luzon.
Outside the Freeport, there are bars, hotels and restaurants that are considered the remnants of the former Subic Naval Base until the US naval forces left our country for good.
From Olongapo City to the last town of Zambales are beach resorts that offer variety of attractions and amenities. There are also small islands that can only be reached by boat. Backpackers and adventurers often visit these places.
In Iba town, the capital of Zambales, can be found a number of beaches and other places to visit. Perhaps many not might know it, but the province is a producer of one of the sweetest and juiciest mangos in the world. In recognition to the fruit, a mango festival is held every May where there are various activities that are enjoyed by local residents and tourists as well.
Tourism is one of the income earners of the said provinces during summer because of their beaches, resorts, products and places. Since many local and foreign tourists visit these places, they generate income that adds up to the revenue of their respective local governments.
For the furtherance of tourism activities in the said provinces, marketing and promotion are nonetheless necessary to increase more the number of visitors to these destinations.
Local governments meanwhile should also focus in the promotion of tourism activities in these places that spur growth and development in these two provinces which are also top tourist destinations during summer.
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