Filipina Soul

  The French have discovered the Philippines!

For two years in a row now, the Philippines has played host to the reality show “Koh Lanta”, the French franchise of the American show “Survivor”. El Nido, Palawan was the site of the first season in 2006, and one year later the show’s producers went to Caramoan, Camarines Sur with a new batch of competitors. With 8 million Frenchmen watching each week, that was instant publicity for our country’s tourism industry. Says Koh Lanta host Denis Brogniart -

“It’s just incredible! The rich images, the amazing sea side, the rich formations, the limestones, the clean and transparent waters. Everything about Palawan is amazing!”

Another (and bigger) reality show, this time the French version of “Great Amazon”, now wants to shoot an entire season in the Philippines.

So it was no contest that last week, the Philippines won the “Top Destination for Ecotourism” in the 2009 edition of Nature, one of France’s biggest travel fairs. The French love going to our country because they see so much culture and diversity. They’re surprised to find our Latin heritage that is totally unique in all of Asia.

“The French are always looking for culture in a country. They love visiting old churches and going to markets to experience how life is in a particular place. If you travel so far, you need to find something different yet familiar. You don’t travel for 15 hours just to see a nice beach.”

Ultimately in that sense, the Philippines has a plenty to offer.

image: flickr