Philippines tailor made holiday

Environment:
City tours in Cebu and Manila: Visiting the main historical sights in Cebu and Manila you will gain an insight into the history which is so important to the Philippines today and fees included in this trip will help preserve some of the historic sights you will enjoy. Furthermore by exploring Manila using public transport means that there is less of a carbon footprint generated and money paid directly benefits local operators of Jeepneys and taxis.

Countryside Tour of Bohol: Again visits the churches which are so important to the people of Bohol and their history. The museum is full of amazing artifacts and any donations are gratefully received which contribute to the much needed restoration of these historic churches. Visiting the Tarsier Sanctuary and the Butterfly Farm highlights the need to help endangered endemic species threatened by loss of habitat. All entrance fees and voluntary donations are invested into the programmes for further breeding of these amazing creatures and helps education of locals and visitors alike.

El Nido - El Nido Miniloc Resort: A very environmentally friendly resort with a huge amount of RT initiatives in place. Located on a private island within the Marine reserve, the holding company Ten Knots established the Ecotourism Maintenance Fund and donates money to the fund for every guest that stays at El Nido. The fund is used for preserving and protecting the local environment. All products supplied in the bathrooms for guests are environmentally friendly (detergent free) so will not harm the ecology of the area. Guests are given a cloth bag to fill with plastic and other non biodegradable materials to take this with them on the flight back to Manila where they can then be recycled. This means that the non biodegradable items are not given a chance to pollute the environment of this fragile ecosystem.

Guests are asked to participate in research into wildlife they spot in the area during their stay enabling the reserve to keep track of the rarer, at-risk animals and marine life. The reserve is home to the extremely rare Dugong (sea cow) and also turtles. The resort offers low impact activities such as kayaking, snorkelling, windsurfing so that the habitats of the area are unaffected. The marine reserve also gives refuge to the Swiflet birds' nests which are highly sought after for soup. Through the marine reserve the government has been able to enforce periods of time when the birds are protected to allow them to reach maturity before their nests are allowed to be gathered. Although still not fully protected the reserve has provided an environment to help bird numbers increase. The resorts also work closely with the local community to prevent illegal fishing and the promotion of coastal cleansing along with local education campaigns on how to protect the area. The new Deluxe Seaview rooms have been built with the environment in mind. They have solar power, energy efficient lighting and offer fans for cooling the rooms.

Community:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments to local communities in Cebu & Bohol: In Cebu, the Maribago Bluewater Resort participates in various corporate social responsibility programs including running a free healthcare clinic for the local community at Christmas time. They also run livelihood programs such as educating the local communities on how to set up small businesses. In Bohol the Bohol Beach Club are involved in outreach programs for the immediate family of their staff and have a foundation that offers healthcare education for employees on the prevention of HIV.