Saturday, January 28

PPUR Officially Included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature

New7Wonders of Nature Confirmed PPUR
The Puerto Prinsesa's 17 km underground river is now officially one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature as confirmed by its President Bernard Weber. The certificate was presented to Puerto Prinsesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn in a ceremony held in Heritage Hotel, Pasay City.

The Philippines' inclusion to the New7Wonders of Nature wasn't easy. The search started in 2007 with 440 entries from 220 countries around the world. It was trimmed down to top 77 and then the PPUR came in strong as one of the 28 finalists.

The intensified promotional campaign of the government helped the PPUR beat other contenders. Based on the final results, the Puerto Prinsesa Underground River received a total global votes of 20 million. "Fans of PPUR all over the world responded to his call for action by voting in record numbers and today’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm," Weber told the media in explaining the role of President Aquino in the promotion of the PPUR. 

The Jeju Island in South Korea was also confirmed. Other finalists that awaits confirmation are Amazon River in South America, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Iguazu Falls in South America, Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa and the Komodo National Park in Indonesia

The Puerto Prinsesa Underground River is considered as the longest navigable underground river in the world. It was also named as one of the World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

Mayor Hagedorn and the Department of Tourism is optimistic that the inclusion of the PPUR in the New 7 Wonders of Nature will bring more tourists in the Philippines, both local and foreign. They are expecting that the 2B revenue last year will double with the influx of tourists in the underground river which is truly a great tourist destination.

1 comment:

Phil Grahm Salt said...

It is such a pride that Puerto Princesa Underground River is able to be included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature. What I find intriguing is that the news the New 7 Wonders was not widely reported in the international media. Maybe, they are boycotting it because most of the winning entries are from the Third-world countries.

Camiguin Island