TRAVEL WORLD: 07/25/22

Monday, July 25, 2022

DOT7: FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS EVOLVING INTO A STRONG TOURISM PRODUCT July 24, 2022 at 05:43PM

Out of Town Blog
DOT7: FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS EVOLVING INTO A STRONG TOURISM PRODUCT

Team Out of Town Blog Hub (Outoftownblog.com) – The Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) is fast becoming a strong tourism product with great potential, the Department of Tourism – Central Visayas (DOT7) observes.

DOT7 extended its support to the 16th World Championships of the World Eskrima, Kali, Arnis Federation (WEKAF) held at the Mandaue City Sports Complex from July 16 – 21, 2022.

About 400 delegates from 10 countries participated in the forms and sparring competitions featured in the week-long gathering.

Gelena Asis-Dimpas, DOT7 Chief Tourism Operations Officer, says that Central Visayas “has gained unprecedented popularity as the hub of FMA.”

Cebu, in particular, Dimpas adds, boasts over 30 diverse FMA systems or styles, the most number found in a single area. Practitioners and enthusiasts organize visits to the Philippines to learn the numerous configurations of FMA and various fighting styles. They also participate in training camps and tournaments.

16th World Championships of the World Eskrima, Kali, Arnis Federation

Cebu is the birthplace of eskrima and WEKAF. WEKAF hosted the first international games in Cebu City in 1989, the year of its founding.

FMA consists of performance-based and competitive systems using hands, sticks, and bladed weapons. It traces its beginnings to the time when Filipinos developed ways of defending themselves from attackers using just their hands, sticks, or whatever material was within reach. Sticks, knives, and other materials were incorporated into the routines as hand extensions. Over time, practitioners integrated science and culture into the art, and various styles have been discovered – hand-to-hand combat, stick-fighting, grappling, and disarming.

The diversity of FMA systems – in routines, techniques, weaponry, and rituals – ensures that there is always something new to discover at each club or group.

In partnership with the masters and grandmasters of diverse eskrima systems, the DOT7, through its Cultural Tourism Program, is developing FMA Heritage Trails to promote appreciation both as sport and art form. “FMA is an authentic Filipino product and is definitely part of our national heritage. It is not only interesting both as art and sport; it is another means by which we share our identity and forge friendships with the rest of the world,” Dimpas stated.

Follow Out of Town Travel Blog on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest if you want more travel and tech-related updates.

Original article: DOT7: FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS EVOLVING INTO A STRONG TOURISM PRODUCT

DOT7: FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS EVOLVING INTO A STRONG TOURISM PRODUCT
Melo Villareal
Out of Town Blog

DIVE7 FESTIVAL IN NEGROS ORIENTAL JULY 28-31 July 24, 2022 at 05:30PM

Out of Town Blog
DIVE7 FESTIVAL IN NEGROS ORIENTAL JULY 28-31

Dive7 Festival Registration opened; the photo contest is the event highlight.

Team Out of Town Blog Hub (Outoftownblog.com) – The next big dive festival in Central Visayas will be at the Municipalities of Zamboanguita and Dauin in Negros Oriental on July 28-31. Organized by the Department of Tourism- Central Visayas (DOT7), the DIVE7 Festival is expected to draw hundreds of Philippine and international SCUBA divers and enthusiasts.

The festival, developed as part of the DIVE7 program, is generating high interest from various dive communities affected by restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The dive festival was launched last year and has attracted both experienced and beginner divers.

This year’s Negros Oriental leg of the festival kicks off along the Zamboanguita coastline and closes in Dauin. Underwater and beach clean-ups will be done at both municipalities.

Participants may take diving lessons from certified instructors of dive shops accredited by the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD). A list will be available at the event. The mermaid experience or SCUBA lessons with full face masks will also be available with the first fourteen (14) given free of charge.

Highlighting the festival is an underwater photography contest envisioned to capture the marine kaleidoscope that has flourished over the two-year COVID-19 hiatus, says DIVE7 Program Head Gloriece Do.

The competition is open to amateur, and professional underwater lensmen of all nationalities, provided the participant resides in the Philippines at the time of registration. Participants can keep their shutters going throughout the duration of the multi-activity event. All entries must be submitted by 9:00 a.m. on July 31.

In the open and compact camera categories, various subjects and concepts will be showcased in the competition, including nudibranchs, swimming with turtles, frogfish, wide seascapes, and marine life behavior. Photos of people with purpose, featuring practices that benefit the reef, community, or tourism, especially awareness and advocacy actions, may also be submitted under their specific competition category.

Cooperating with the DOT7 for the Dive Festival are the PCSSD, Tourism Promotions Board, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Province of Negros Oriental, the two municipalities, Zamboanguita Diving and Leisure Resorts Association, Negros Oriental Dive Association and the Dauin Resorts Association.

Online registration is available via https://forms.gle/gEnnEiLZqtenWThv5. For updates on the DIVE7 Festival and other events under the program, participants may also follow the official FB page DIVE7 DOT Central Visayas https://www.facebook.com/dive7.dotcentralvisayas/.

Read:

Original article: DIVE7 FESTIVAL IN NEGROS ORIENTAL JULY 28-31

DIVE7 FESTIVAL IN NEGROS ORIENTAL JULY 28-31
Melo Villareal
Out of Town Blog