Lagen, Miniloc resorts win world’s green vote

A PRESTIGIOUS international magazine has listed two Palawan resorts among the 20 most eco-sensitive hotels in the world.

In its January 2008 issue, Travel + Leisure, published by the American Express Co., included El Nido’s hotels in Miniloc and Lagen Islands on its roster of “conservation-minded places on a mission to protect the local environment.”

Travel + Leisure’s 20 Favorite Green Hotels highlighted El Nido Resort’s active participation in protecting Palawan’s giant-clam gardens and supporting the re-introduction of endangered Philippine cockatoos.

“Surrounded by 123,000 acres of protected forests, jagged limestone cliffs, and hidden lagoons, travelers to sister resorts El Nido Lagen Island and El Nido Miniloc Island can take their pick of daily activities: bird-watching, kayaking, rock climbing, or simply watching fish swim below one of the guest cottages-on-stilts, which are set above the crystalline ocean,” the magazine said.

“Palawan has always been touted ‘the final frontier’ because of the wealth of natural attractions found in and around this island group. It is encouraging to know that our establishments are taking responsibility to help uphold the integrity of the area,” said Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano.

Travel + Leisure is read by over 4.6 million high-end travelers. Other than reaching the US tourist market, the magazine has editions for the travel markets in Mexico, Turkey, China, Australia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

The publication teamed with Washington-based non-profit organization Conservation International to find out what hotels, resorts and spas are doing to conserve water and energy, reduce waste materials and support their environment and local communities.

El Nido’s five-star accommodations joined other destinations such as a Colorado ranch that protects American wildlife, a game reserve in South Africa, a Tanzanian coral and marine sanctuary, an electricity-free skiing and hiking resort in Switzerland, a lodge owned by the indigenous Masai tribe of Kenya, and an Italian inn with a pastoral and agricultural bent.

Durano called on other tourism establishments in the Philippines to take their cue from El Nido and “adopt an eco-friendly mindset.”

Palawan was earlier categorized as “doing well” in the fourth Destination Scorecard survey conducted by the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations.

The review observed that while pollution poses a threat to the diverse and unique marine life surrounding the islands, conservation efforts have been improving in recent months.

The province has also received praises from Conde Nast Traveler magazine, which voted its sugary beaches, coves and islets as the tourist destination with the best beaches in Asia.

Likewise, the aquatic views offered by the sunken Japanese warships off Coron Island are listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top 10 best scuba sites in the world. –Roderick T. dela Cruz, The Manila Standard Today