Clark Freeport—The Clark Development Corp. was awarded as the best Eco Zone Tourism Award in the country for efficient management and promotion of tourism in the area.
Noel Manankil, president, and CEO of the CDC, received the award from the Rotary Club Of Manila during a simple ceremony in Manila.
The first Rotary Club in the country said the CDC under Manankil was efficient in the promotion of ecotourism activities inside the Freeport that generate additional employment to the province and nearby areas.
The other awardees were Philippine Airlines President Jaime Bautista, Manila Hotel Executive Vice President Enrique Yap Jr., and Ayala Resorts and Hotels President Miguel Alexis Legaspi.
Aside from eco-tourism activities, Manankil said facilities, services, and sports tourism attracted about 1.5 million visitors to Clark last year.
Existing tourism facilities and services in the Freeport include seven golf courses, 2,000 hotel rooms, museums, 63-room convention and meeting facilities, shopping malls, first-class hospitals, and casinos.
Sports facilities include open space for racing competition, car show, parks, and educational tours, among others.
Clark’s main attraction remains the annual International Hot Balloon Festival, when most of the tourists arrive mostly from Metro Manila watch the three days fun and excitement.
“This resulted in the influx of both local and foreign tourists in the former American Air Force base,” Manankil said.
Earlier, Clark was also named as Sport Tourism Destination by the Philippines Sport Tourism Foundation because of its location and environment suited for sport-related tourism activities like car show and racing.
A big factor in increasing popularity of the Freeport as the major tourist destination in the country is the Clark International Airport with 158 international flights and 248 domestic flights per week.
The airport is now undergoing a multimillion-peso renovation for a new passenger terminal that will increase its capacity from 4 million to 12 million upon completion in 2020.