Negros Oriental Is Among World's Best Islands To Live On In 2007

Negros Oriental, and its capital Dumaguete, lives up to its moniker "the city of gentle people" as US-based Islands magazine listed it as one of the 20 best islands to live on. The province joins the list of other exotic addresses such as the Grand Cayman, Gozo in Malta, Carriacou in Grenada and Vieques in Puerto Rico, which all offer a mix of indigenous culture, friendly neighbors, uncomplicated living and adventure attractions.

Islands magazine is one of the widest circulated and most trusted travel publications in the United States. Its readership of 500,000 comprises mostly of frequent tourists who take more than one annual holiday and stay for an average of seven days at any given vacation.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said this recognition for Negros Oriental speaks of an exceptionally hospitable experience that makes people want to stay for the long haul.

"More than the attractions in a particular province or city, it is the people who play a big role in creating a welcoming and positive impression to travelers," he said.

Durano called on local government units to continue their efforts in building up the tourism potentials of their jurisdictions. While infrastructure is essential, programs should also include creating a community mindset that is tourist-friendly and puts forth the world-famous Filipino brand of hospitality.


IDEAL COUNTRY LIVING

Published in the August 2007 issue, editors of Islands magazine chose 20 islands around the globe that have the best living conditions for foreigners who would like to relocate. Deciding factors included weather, languages spoken, ease of immigration and accessibility to hospitals. Expats were also interviewed for an insider’s opinion.

Negros Oriental earned three out of five flip-flops, or rating, from the magazine. Of note was Dumaguete City’s youthful vibe courtesy of the prominence of academic centers. Also mentioned was the city’s picturesque Rizal Boulevard, the seaside promenade lined with cafes and art galleries. German expat Georg Bender, who moved to the island in 2001, spoke of the great diving experiences awaiting scuba and snorkeling enthusiasts.

Located in Central Visayas, Negros Oriental offers divers colorful and teeming marine life around Apo Island, located in the Negros Oriental Marine Conservation Park. Tourists can also chance upon playful dolphins and pygmy sperm whales in Tañon Strait at Bais Bay. Meanwhile, the 400hectare Bird Sanctuary and Mangrove Park provides sightings of rare birds and wildlife. The province also boasts of spelunking, trekking and beach attractions.

Dumaguete City, the provincial capital, prides itself as the City of Gentle People after the winsome and hospitable residents who help create a tranquil and genteel way of life. Dumaguete is also known as a university town, with several institutions of higher learning located in close proximity to each other and students comprising a fourth of the population. Most notable is Silliman University, the first Protestant college in the Philippines and the oldest American-established tertiary education center in Asia. (MB)

Cebu Ranks Highly In Travel Magazine 2007 Survey

Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards

Asia / Indian Ocean Islands Category

1.Maldives 84.3 and Bali 84.3

3. Phuket 80.6

4. Seychelles 77.7

5. Mauritius 75.0

6. Koh Samui 73.7

7. Cebu 72.3

8. Langkawi 69.5

9. Lombok 63.8
10. Zanzibar 62.8

For the fourth straight year, Cebu has been ranked among the top 10 island destinations in Asia / Indian Ocean in the Conde Nast Traveler Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards for 2007.

Cebu reached a seventh place finish and scored higher this year with 72.3 points compared to last year's 71 points.

Cebu ranked seventh when it first emerged in the top 10 list of the best island destinations in the region in 2004.

Maldives and Bali tied for first place in this year's number one island-destination. These two islands received received 84. 3 points, knocking off Phuket in Thailand, which slid to number three spot at 80.6 points.

Seychelles, Mauritius and Koh Samui were fourth, fifth and sixth placers with scores of 77.7, 75 and 73.7, respectively.

The rest of the top 10 were Cebu (seventh, 72.3), Langkawi (eight, 69.5), Lombok (ninth, 63.8), Zanzibar (tenth, 62.8)

The Readers Choice Awards have been conducted by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine since 1998.

Some 350,000 questionnaires were sent out to Conde Nast Traveler Magazine subscribers where they were asked to rate their choices for the different categories. The final tabulation was conducted by Media-mark Research, Inc., of New York City.

Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, a leading travel magazine, has a worldwide circulation of around 750,000 a month and 1.8 million hits on its website monthly. Its readers have been described as some of the most affluent, stylish and experienced travelers in the world.

Traveler Magazine is published by Conde Nast along with Allure, Brides, GQ, Vogue, Vanity fair, Tattler and Wired.

METHODOLOGY
Every year since 1988, a select sample of Condé Nast Traveler readers have taken the Readers' Choice Survey. In 2007, the questionnaires were made available to all readers, either as a 16-page partial edition of the survey (enclosed with their April or May issue) or through a secure Web site that contained the complete questionnaire. The final tabulations of 28,104 responses were done by Mediamark Research, Inc., of New York City. Organization Poll categories (Cities, Hotels, etc.) appear below, followed by the criteria by which each was evaluated. Questionnaires contained lists of candidates (individual cities, hotels, etc.), and space was allowed for write-ins. Only candidates that received a required minimum number of responses were deemed eligible for an award.

Evaluation: Each candidate was rated, criterion by criterion, as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor. Criterion scores, which represent the percentage of respondents rating a candidate excellent or very good, were averaged to determine the final score; e.g., in the Islands category, Bali's 84.3 is the average of its scores for Activities, Atmosphere/Ambience, Beaches, Friendliness, Lodging, Restaurants, and Scenery.

Cebu joins list of top 10 emerging outsourcing centers in the world

First take a look at the list. Don't expect Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida in the list because they are already established centers and the list is all about top and best 10 emerging outsourcing centers in the world. The study is done by services globalisation & investment advisory firm Tholons and media group Global Services.

Rank

1. Chennai (India)

2. Hyderabad (India)

3. Pune (India)

4. Cebu City (Philippines)

5. Kolkata (India)

6. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)

7. Colombo (Sri Lanka)

8. Shanghai (China)

9. Chandigarh (India)

10. Beijing (China)

In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC) executive director Joel Mari Yu said he expects Cebu to reach number one, as the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry here is rising compared to that in India.

Costs are surging in the prime cities in India, which has earned a reputation as the world’s back office, as property values and rentals rise and wages increase at an annual pace of more than 15 percent amid a shortage of skilled employees.

Indian outsourcing firms are also feeling the pinch from an appreciating rupee, which dents dollar-billed earnings, forcing them to cut costs by expanding to less expensive locations.

“With the demand-supply gap widening, newer tier II cities will play a critical role in reengineered globalization models,” said Tholons chairman Avinash Vashistha.

“Destinations will need to provide a greater level of cost effectiveness and operational efficiency.”

Kolkata at number five and Chandigarh at number nine were the other two Indian locations on the list, which contained three Chinese and two Vietnamese cities as well.

The three hot cities for outsourcing from China were Shanghai at number eight, Beijing at 10 and Shenzhen at 13. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi were put at number six and number 12.

The Sri Lankan capital of Colombo placed seventh, Cairo at 11, Buenos Aires at 14 and Sao Paulo at 15, the study’s sponsors said in a statement released in Bangalore yesterday.

The list is based on criteria such as scale and quality of workforce, financial infrastructure, risk environment and quality of life.

India’s outsourcing companies have thrived by winning work from companies in the United States and Europe that sought to tap the country’s low costs and large employee pool by handing over jobs ranging from answering customers’ calls to risk management and financial analysis.

Pure-play outsourcing firms account for about 10 percent of the $50 billion in revenue logged in the year ended March by the entire information technology industry, which also includes software giants such as Tata Consultancy and Infosys.

Yu said that among Third World countries, the Philippines has an edge in that Filipinos speak better English, or that which is closest to the American twang, compared to Indians, who have an accent.

But, he said, the government should start giving the industry more attention in policy direction to keep that advantage.

“It would be better that the industry would not be concentrated in Cebu alone but in other provinces as well so that qualified workers do not congregate in Cebu. And this entails better government planning involving other local government units,” Yu said.

In particular, he said, other places should offer English, computer technology and other information technology-related courses for a better-qualified pool of workers.