Showcasing the beauty of RP through biking

MANILA, Philippines - Biking is becoming a popular sport because aside from its recreational and health benefits, it allows the biker to enjoy the scenic landscapes and seaside views of paths not accessible to a typical four-wheeled vehicle.

With this in mind, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and Department of Tourism (DOT) supported Bike Festival Asia, which utilized biking to promote the Philippines as a tourist destination.

“Many islands and provinces in the Philippines are not explored because we are not using the right transportation. Biking is a good vehicle to use in order to maximize a tour, to admire a beautiful place. If we really want to appreciate the splendor of our country, we should look closer,” said Mark Lapid, TIEZA general manager and CEO.

The bike fun run’s goal was to encourage the exploration of “undiscovered” local tourist spots through biking. “We want bikers to discover unexplored sites such as virgin beaches and fields that are only familiar to locals,” explained Lapid.

The first Bike Festival was held in October 2009 featuring the 80-kilometer sensational view of the country’s longest expressway, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

“The success of last year’s event made us confident that the feat is possible, so we continue pursuing our goal. We wish to continue this event on a larger, nationwide scale and to create more excitement among the bikers,” said Lapid.

This year, the road bikers were indeed in for a new challenge: road bike and mountain bike. Road cyclists followed a 75-kilometer trek starting from Terrazas de Punta Fuego, passing through Matabungcay beach resorts, Calatagan, round the Lemery, Batangas terminus, and back to Terrazas. The mountain bikers, for their part, took an exhilarating 35-km rough off-trail road before finishing in the same venue.

“We are evaluating how we can maximize the event in order to promote Philippine tourism. Aside from inviting foreigners to go to our country, we should also target local tourists because many Filipinos have not fully explored the rest of our country’s exquisite islands. The Philippines is filled with other wonderful places like Paoay, Palawan and Bohol that need to be developed and be opened to the public,” Lapid said.

The organizer of the event, Leading Events Network Plus Inc., is also optimistic that in the future, it could bring the event to other parts of the country like the Visayas and Mindanao.

“We are also looking at inviting foreign riders to join the succeeding events as we plan to make the event bigger as we progress to promote tourism also in these parts of the Philippines. We want to communicate that the Philippines is a safe, enjoyable and truly beautiful destination,” said Lapid.