Remember last February when I went on a road trip for 9 days to Pangasinan and Ilocos for Guling - Guling Festival? Me and a few bunch of faces I have met for the first time joined Explora.ph on their quest to document every province's (mostly hidden and unexplored) tourist destinations. It was also memorable for me because I celebrated the most important day of my life - my birthday with them in the middle of the trip.
They have successfully created official tourism websites for over 40 provinces already and just a week ago, another one has been ticked off, this is for Soccskargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos ) in Central Mindanao. Last June 24th, they had a media launching and Facebook live though I regret not being able to be with them to celebrate this milestone because I was in Thailand that time. I would like to take this opportunity to share the official message of Perry Sumakote, Co-founder and VP of Marketing and Strategic Development for this launching below:
"We’re excited to welcome everyone, including those who are watching via live streaming our Facebook account. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule tojoin us today."
"This is a significant event, which I am proud to be a part of. Today’s launch of SOCCSKSARGEN’s new tourism website, VisitSox.com, marks an important step in Explora’s goal to make traveling easier in the Philippines. Explora is a start-up companythat is committed to elevate local tourism. We are homegrown, which means we arestarted by Filipinos, and operated by Filipinos.Because who else should know ourcountry better? But us Filipinos.
"We realize, however, that this is not always the case. There are a number of reasonswhy locals are not familiar with many places in the Philippines. One of these reasons isthe unavailability of accurate and updated information, which travelers need to accesswhen they’re planning for a trip. We want to address this gap between travelers andtheir domestic travel needs. Explora seeks to explore the Philippines, to documentdestinations that are both popular and off the beaten path, so that we will be able torelay travel information accurately, and in the fastest way possible: through the internet.We weed out the noise online and curate the content that travelers need."
"This is only possible with your help, the help of our partners, the Department ofTourism, our Impact Hub family, and our volunteers, who lend their expertise, time, andenergy into building Explora. Today, we finally launch VisitSox.com, and we are excitedto see how it will put SOCCSKSARGEN on the forefront of local tourism. We have seenfirsthand the natural beauty of this region, the charm of its people, and its readiness tobe discovered by more travelers.VisitSox.com is now up, and we are gearing up to witness SOCCSKSARGEN becomeone of the top travel destinations in the Philippines. Prepare to discover, and explorethings you’ve never seen before, because SOX is NEXT!"
The event also included presentation of VisitSox.com by JR Felipe, Founder and CEO of Explora.ph. Also present is Nelly Dilera, DOT 12 Regional Director who did the ceremonial online signing up plus media friends.
I have known Perry all throughout the trip. I have nothing but praise him for his professionalism and being a leader inside and out while he manages a group of volunteers whom I know is it's his also first time to meet, working with LGU representatives and best of all making sure that the outcome of this volunteering activity is to promote the best interest of the locals.
What I personally like about Explora.ph is that they don't only focus on touristy places like Boracay or known destinations like Palawan. They make sure that every single destination that has a potential to make it big in the tourism industry should be given a chance to shine.
Explora.ph regularly taps bloggers, writers and photographers to team up with them so if you are eyeing to visit every province in the Philippines plus being able to work personally with its respective LGU (Local Government Unit) tourism offices, this is your chance to travel for free.
"We’re excited to welcome everyone, including those who are watching via live streaming our Facebook account. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule tojoin us today."
"This is a significant event, which I am proud to be a part of. Today’s launch of SOCCSKSARGEN’s new tourism website, VisitSox.com, marks an important step in Explora’s goal to make traveling easier in the Philippines. Explora is a start-up companythat is committed to elevate local tourism. We are homegrown, which means we arestarted by Filipinos, and operated by Filipinos.Because who else should know ourcountry better? But us Filipinos.
"We realize, however, that this is not always the case. There are a number of reasonswhy locals are not familiar with many places in the Philippines. One of these reasons isthe unavailability of accurate and updated information, which travelers need to accesswhen they’re planning for a trip. We want to address this gap between travelers andtheir domestic travel needs. Explora seeks to explore the Philippines, to documentdestinations that are both popular and off the beaten path, so that we will be able torelay travel information accurately, and in the fastest way possible: through the internet.We weed out the noise online and curate the content that travelers need."
"This is only possible with your help, the help of our partners, the Department ofTourism, our Impact Hub family, and our volunteers, who lend their expertise, time, andenergy into building Explora. Today, we finally launch VisitSox.com, and we are excitedto see how it will put SOCCSKSARGEN on the forefront of local tourism. We have seenfirsthand the natural beauty of this region, the charm of its people, and its readiness tobe discovered by more travelers.VisitSox.com is now up, and we are gearing up to witness SOCCSKSARGEN becomeone of the top travel destinations in the Philippines. Prepare to discover, and explorethings you’ve never seen before, because SOX is NEXT!"
The event also included presentation of VisitSox.com by JR Felipe, Founder and CEO of Explora.ph. Also present is Nelly Dilera, DOT 12 Regional Director who did the ceremonial online signing up plus media friends.
I have known Perry all throughout the trip. I have nothing but praise him for his professionalism and being a leader inside and out while he manages a group of volunteers whom I know is it's his also first time to meet, working with LGU representatives and best of all making sure that the outcome of this volunteering activity is to promote the best interest of the locals.
What I personally like about Explora.ph is that they don't only focus on touristy places like Boracay or known destinations like Palawan. They make sure that every single destination that has a potential to make it big in the tourism industry should be given a chance to shine.
Explora.ph regularly taps bloggers, writers and photographers to team up with them so if you are eyeing to visit every province in the Philippines plus being able to work personally with its respective LGU (Local Government Unit) tourism offices, this is your chance to travel for free.
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