Astoria Palawan cited for community-building initiatives
Astoria Palawan recently received a Plaque of Recognition from the City Government of Puerto Princesa for its unwavering support of the local tourism industry.
Astoria Palawan has consistently supported and partnered with the city government’s tourism office in its various projects, such as the Balayon Festival celebrating Northern Palawan’s rich biodiversity, the Mr. and Ms. Puerto Princesa search and the PAL Awards for local travel agents and tour operators.
The resort, which highlights the natural beauty and local culture of Puerto Princesa, has also initiated several community-building initiatives. The biggest of these is the Sikap Pinoy event last year, wherein about 200 fishermen from different barangays learned money management practices to help them get out of the cycle of debt.
To encourage them to continue to work hard and be the guiding light for their families after the Sikap Pinoy event, Astoria Palawan donated solar lamps which the fisherfolk can use out at sea or in their homes.
Close relations with the fishermen also led to another project, Lako, wherein the hotel buys the fish and produce directly from the fishing and farming communities. Thus, the fishermen get to bring home more income daily, while Astoria Palawan’s guests enjoy the freshest fruits, vegetables and seafood everyday.
Astoria Palawan has also helped in rebuilding the floating cottage facilities in Barangay Maoyon so that it can further be developed into a jumpoff point for guests’ firefly watching activities. At the same time, the sandbar in Barangay Babuyan has also been promoted by the property as one of its day tour destinations. The results are heartwarming, as this new initiative has had a positive impact on the livelihood of the local community.
Astoria Hotels & Resorts (AHR) president Jeffrey Ng believes that Astoria Palawan can make an even bigger social impact in the future. “Identifying ways by which we can help and work with the local communities in and around Puerto Princesa will help us make our guests’ stay in the Philippine islands even more enjoyable and memorable,” he noted.
Aside from investing in various community-building efforts, AHR has invested P1.5 billion to date in Astoria Palawan. With its 30 new premier villas, Astoria Palawan now boasts 146 rooms in total. Such a large investment is proof of the company’s belief in the continued growth of Puerto Princesa’s tourism industry, according to Ng.
The investments in the resort itself and the implementation of communitybuilding initiatives have not gone unnoticed. Astoria Palawan has been a consistent awardee of TripAdvisor for its excellent guest service and amenities: it’s ranked #1 in Puerto Princesa City and in the entire province of Palawan in the latest 2019 TripAdvisor rankings.
Astoria Palawan has also ranked #1 for families in TripAdvisor among all Philippine hotels. It’s also ranked #9 worldwide for families – the only Philippines-based hotel to achieve a global ranking in this year’s TripAdvisor awards.
Investing in facilities and in people continues to be a winning combination for Astoria Palawan.