Tourism officials announced the Visayas Leg of the Island Paradise Adventure Race (IPAR), the biggest adventure race ever in the Philippines, in terms of prize money and number of destinations.

In keeping with the adventure racing trend popularized by reality television shows such as The Amazing Race, the Department of Tourism saw the opportunity to promote the Philippines as an adventure tourism destination. The country’s diversity offers a wide range of exciting and unique experiences to jaded travelers who are looking for something out of the ordinary, and the IPAR program is set to showcase these unique destinations.

The Visayas Leg, set to run for 9 days from December 10-18, 2005, will take the participants from Manila through the southern Luzon provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Puerto Gallera then cross over Mindoro down to Boracay, Capiz and Iloilo, crossing the Guimaras strait through Negros to Bohol, finally finishing in Cebu. In all, the teams are expected to stop at around 50 destinations where they will perform challenges highlighting the local attractions. Since this is an inter-island adventure, teams are expected to traverse the Strong Republic Nautical Highway using the RO-RO shipping facilities, which are still something of a novelty.

According to Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, “IPAR is our way of positioning the Philippines as an ideal tourism destination, particularly for adventure enthusiasts as we believe our 7,100 islands have something to appeal to everyone. For the long term, we hope the IPAR program will be institutionalized as an ongoing tourism program, which will attract not only local but foreign adventure enthusiasts as well.”

Unlike other adventure sports activities which are limited to adventure or extreme sports enthusiasts, tourism officials insist that the IPAR Visayas Leg is open to everyone interested in traveling across the Visayas and discovering the natural beauty, local traditions, and cultural offerings. Of course, competitors have to be physically and mentally fit for the rigors and challenges of a cross-country trek.

The Island Paradise Adventure Race - Visayas Leg is open to teams consisting of 2 members, who should be at least 18 years of age. One million pesos is at stake for the winning team. The second and third place finishers will be taking home P200,000 and P100,000 in prize money, respectively. The contest organizers are targeting at least 30 participating teams.


Courtesy of:
WOW Philippines [http://www.wowphilippines.ph]