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DAPITAN CITY, Philippines – Zamboanga Peninsula’s tourism chief said that Dapitan City now has the “complete” tourism package following the opening of a winter-themed park in the city – the biggest in the Philippines.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) hailed the opening of the Jalosjos-owned theme park Fantasyland Snow World on Friday, July 1, calling it a big boost to tourism in the historic Dapitan City and the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Tourism officials said the 6,000-square meter theme park in Zamboanga del Norte is now “the pride of the region’s tourism.”
“You’re lucky; you’re complete,” DOT-Zamboanga Peninsula director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez told Dapitan officials and residents during the new park’s opening.
“You have historical and religious tourism, cultural and heritage, sun and beaches, and entertainment and fun,” she added.
The theme park, the first of its kind in Mindanao and the biggest in the country, is thrice the size of a similar 2,000-square meter park in Cebu, and twice compared to the one in Metro Manila.
Fantasyland’s owner, former Zamboanga del Norte representative Romeo Jalosjos, said the theme park would maintain a carefully crafted snowy environment “for the full entertainment of the people of Mindanao.”
The park’s temperature can be set at the lowest of negative 15 degrees centigrade, according to Barry Basilio, Fantasyland’s manager.
It has a coffee shop where people can while the time away as they enjoy the Christmassy winter ambiance of a non-tropical country.
Rodriguez called for more tourism- and entertainment-related investments in the Zamboanga Peninsula, and for local governments to provide an enabling environment for such undertakings.
She pointed out that developing tourism in lesser-known destinations in the country was the thrust of new Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco.
Officials said Dapitan City alone has much to share in terms of its history, culture, and heritage.
The city is the site of the first Jesuit mission area in Mindanao and is where national hero Dr. Jose Rizal spent four years in exile in the latter part of the Spanish colonial period.
Dapitan maintains the Rizal-protected landscape, a centuries-old church and pipe organ, and it continues to celebrate the feast of Saint James the Greater, a tradition since the time of the Spanish colonizers.
The city also boasts of its many white sand beaches and classy resorts, including the world-renowned Dakak Park and Beach Resort. – Rappler.com
Enjoy discounts when you visit winter-themed parks using this Klook voucher code.
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