SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – This premier free port reaped the highest recognition as Best Sports Tourism Destination of the Year during the Third Sports Industries Awards and Conference Asia (SPIA Asia) held in Bangkok, Thailand on November 7.
With the tourism theme “Funtastic Subic Bay”, Subic bagged the gold award in the sports destination category, followed by “Visit Victoria” of Australia which received silver, and “Amazing Thailand” which won bronze.
Aside from this prestigious award, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) bagged the silver for Best Sponsorship of a Sport, Team or Event (USD$250,000), which was one of the 17 international awards given in the occasion.
The awards were received by SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator Ramon Agregado, SBMA tourism manager Jem Camba, and tourism officer Raquel Junio during the awards ceremony held at the Centara World Convention Center in Bangkok.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma said the award “validates efforts by the agency and the whole Subic Freeport community to elevate the local tourism industry and draw more visitors via sports events.”
“It also speaks well of the natural drawing power of Subic’s unspoiled environment combined with modern amenities that visitors find very appealing,” Eisma added.
Camba, meanwhile, said the award stands as an accomplishment for “Team Subic Bay” because Subic stakeholders gave their full support and best service for every sporting event held in the Freeport.
She also expressed gratitude to the Department of Tourism in Region 3 (DoT-3) and DoT-3 Dir. Ronnie Tiotuico for being supportive of Subic’s efforts to become the sporting capital of the Philippines.
Camba also explained that the SBMA received the Best Sponsorship recognition for sponsoring triathlon events here in 2014 to 2016.
Industry records show that the Subic Bay Freeport earned a ranking of 85.80 percent in the 2015 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship (APAC) overall satisfaction scores. The race ranking was just .09 percent shy of the global standard’s 85.89 percent and pushed Subic’s ranking above the Asia-Pacific standard of 83.95 percent.
The 2015 Ironman 70.3 APAC overall satisfaction scores placed Subic, along with Cairns in Queensland, Australia, at number six among the best triathlon sites in the Asia Pacific Championship series.
The list was topped in 2016 by Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia with a satisfaction rating of 90.20 percent. (Dante M. Salvana)