Blessed with abundant natural resources, the Philippines is making great waves in ecotourism. The industry continues to become one of the country’s leading cash cows, especially now that the clamor for global environment protection is reaching new heights. The Philippines, which is home to colorful festivals, fascinating tourist attractions, and hottest events, ranks among the world’s best eco tour destinations.
With its more than 7,000 islands, this predominantly Catholic nation has a lot to offer for travelers seeking to spend a day or two surrounded by the calls of nature. From mountain climbing to snorkeling, there is an eco tour package that will suit your interest, skills, and budget. Getting close to nature in the Philippines is not difficult. Would-be visitors can choose a wide selection of accommodations that offer eco tours in various locations across the country.
Here is a travel guide to some of the leading eco tour destinations in the Philippines.
Palawan
The tropical paradise of Palawan is home to some of the breathtaking natural wonders in the Philippines. One of the prime attractions in this southern province is the Coron Reefs, which has seven lakes surrounded by limestone cliffs. Another recommended destination in Palawan is the municipality of El Nido, where Bacuit Bay is located. This body of water is a haven for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts as the bay is a sanctuary for different marine life such as manta rays, sharks, and sea turtles. Palawan is also home to the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary and the Malampaya Sound Land and Seascape Protected Area.
Donsol
Tourists in Donsol are treated to a big adventure. This first-class municipality in Sorsogon is known for the presence of whale sharks. These giant fish, locally known as butanding, are usually spotted in the town from December to May, attracting both local and foreign visitors. Tour packages in the area include swimming beside whale sharks, which usually grow more than 15 meters long. Aside from whale sharks viewing, Donsol is also famous for firefly and shrimp-catching tours. You can also have a close encounter with manta rays in Donsol.
Bohol
Another must-visit ecotourism site in the Philippines is Bohol, an island province located in the Central Visayas region. Bohol is home to the world’s famous Chocolate Hills. There are more than 1,700 grass-covered hills spread over an area of over 50 square kilometers. The Philippine tarsier, one of the smallest primates in the world, has also placed Bohol on the tourist map. Visitors can get up close and personal with the animals but are not allowed to touch them. Bohol is also blessed with a number of pristine beaches, wherein you can enjoy various water activities such as snorkeling and kayaking.
Pangasinan
Situated on the west central area of Luzon, Pangasinan is another ecotourism hub in the country. The province is well-known for the Hundred Islands National Park, a marine sanctuary comprising some 123 islands. The world-renowned park is an ideal site for sightseeing, trekking, and kayaking. By renting motor boats at the Lucap Wharf in Alaminos, tourists can make golden memories while transferring from one island to another.
Local Philippines is your travel buddy. We have information about the destinations, how to get there, what to do while in the area and more! Destinations in the beaches or in the mountains, destinations under water, destinations right at the middle of the urban hub, name it and Local Philippines will most likely feature it.
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/travel_and_leisure/article_5184.shtml
credit: Allan Leandro Merin
Monday, November 1, 2010
Top Three Most Visited Destinations in Northeast Florida
Florida is a place where bountiful of beautiful sceneries can be found. Along the northeastern part of Florida, there are three places which you can see heaven meets the earth in the horizon with a beautiful sunshine and ever glowing sunset. Whether you are swimming, building sand castles or sailing, you will find these places conducive to romantic dating, family vacation or business-related transactions. The three seaside charms you will be able to experience in Northeast Florida are the following;
Amelia Island. Between the Intracoastal Waterway's tidal marshes and Atlantic's sugary beaches is an island secluded not far enough and offers first class restaurants, well-maintained golf courses, beautiful beaches and good places to stay. Amelia Island has been a perfect getaway for every tourist who is looking for a place to retrospect, for lovers who want some privacy while enjoying love everyday, for family who want to live a life of peace for days and for people who simply want to experience the beauty of nature and witness the every passing moment in serenity.
• Climate - Amelia Island is cooler when summer since it is the north. That is why vacationers want to visit the place during dry and hot season. Cooler breeze and humid air from the ocean is what you can get from Florida because it is tropical.
• Transportation - you can reach Amelia by plane since it also has an airport. You may also want to sail in and sail out by yacht or any boat as you can find lots of good marina and ports in the island or you can rent a car and drive your way around the island.
• Accommodations - Ritz Carlton, a 4-star luxury hotel, may cater your needs for first class accommodations. However, if you are short of budget but still want to enjoy your stay, there are cheaper hotels which offer first class accommodations. Apartments and rent houses can also be found in the island should you feel the need to have a private place to stay with the family.
Jacksonville. It is the place where St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Although Jacksonville has grown considerably over the decades, it still has some of its past preserved. The modern appearance of the place is being equaled by its natural beauty and clean environment. Jacksonville's center lies alongside the St. Johns River giving the people easy access to the city through the waters. The 21-mile wide beach offers every tourist an opportunity to experience the best of the place from food to natural scenic beauties.
• Climate - the place has a tropical climate making it humid most of the times. January is Jacksonville's coldest month which can reach down to 41.9 degrees Fahrenheit while July is the hottest at 90.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Transportation - Jacksonville can be reached by plane; it has an International Airport to cater your flying needs. It can also be reached by car as it has beautiful and well-maintained roads in and out of the city.
• Accommodation - you will never find any problem looking for a place to stay in Jacksonville as there are first class and cheaper hotels around plus the holiday inns and apartments which can always be found anywhere inside the city.
St. Augustine. It is the country's oldest city ever preserved. It has been founded five centuries ago and is still one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the U.S. Depending on your budget, you can choose whatever you want to do in St. Augustine; you can roam around the city and enjoy some major attractions, you can do shopping or you can enjoy taking a bite in one of the most renowned restaurants. Native wildlife abounds the and you can watch and observe them closely.
• Climate - if there is one thing that St. Augustine can boast, that would be its climate; it has a mild and humid temperature all year round with occasional rain falls. The place is just a perfect Florida getaway anytime of the year.
• Transportation - you can be in St. Augustine by water, land and air. If you want to have more romantic time going to the place, you can choose to travel through the sea as you can see so many panoramic views along the way.
• Accommodation - since it is one of the historical and famous places in the world, you can expect to find 5-star hotels in the heart of the city. For travelers on a tight budget, there are also cheaper hotels with good services and amenities. When it comes to accommodation, you do not have to worry about it that much especially when you are in the place.
The Northeastern part of Florida has been blessed with so lots of pristine beaches, panoramic views, clean air and hospitable people. Either you want to spend your holiday in Jacksonville, Amelia Island or St. Augustine, you can ensure to have pleasurable stay and enjoyable experience. Any time of the year, these places are open for tourists and vacationers. So, the next time you want to have quality time, Northeast Florida can be your best choice.
Amelia Island. Between the Intracoastal Waterway's tidal marshes and Atlantic's sugary beaches is an island secluded not far enough and offers first class restaurants, well-maintained golf courses, beautiful beaches and good places to stay. Amelia Island has been a perfect getaway for every tourist who is looking for a place to retrospect, for lovers who want some privacy while enjoying love everyday, for family who want to live a life of peace for days and for people who simply want to experience the beauty of nature and witness the every passing moment in serenity.
• Climate - Amelia Island is cooler when summer since it is the north. That is why vacationers want to visit the place during dry and hot season. Cooler breeze and humid air from the ocean is what you can get from Florida because it is tropical.
• Transportation - you can reach Amelia by plane since it also has an airport. You may also want to sail in and sail out by yacht or any boat as you can find lots of good marina and ports in the island or you can rent a car and drive your way around the island.
• Accommodations - Ritz Carlton, a 4-star luxury hotel, may cater your needs for first class accommodations. However, if you are short of budget but still want to enjoy your stay, there are cheaper hotels which offer first class accommodations. Apartments and rent houses can also be found in the island should you feel the need to have a private place to stay with the family.
Jacksonville. It is the place where St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Although Jacksonville has grown considerably over the decades, it still has some of its past preserved. The modern appearance of the place is being equaled by its natural beauty and clean environment. Jacksonville's center lies alongside the St. Johns River giving the people easy access to the city through the waters. The 21-mile wide beach offers every tourist an opportunity to experience the best of the place from food to natural scenic beauties.
• Climate - the place has a tropical climate making it humid most of the times. January is Jacksonville's coldest month which can reach down to 41.9 degrees Fahrenheit while July is the hottest at 90.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Transportation - Jacksonville can be reached by plane; it has an International Airport to cater your flying needs. It can also be reached by car as it has beautiful and well-maintained roads in and out of the city.
• Accommodation - you will never find any problem looking for a place to stay in Jacksonville as there are first class and cheaper hotels around plus the holiday inns and apartments which can always be found anywhere inside the city.
St. Augustine. It is the country's oldest city ever preserved. It has been founded five centuries ago and is still one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the U.S. Depending on your budget, you can choose whatever you want to do in St. Augustine; you can roam around the city and enjoy some major attractions, you can do shopping or you can enjoy taking a bite in one of the most renowned restaurants. Native wildlife abounds the and you can watch and observe them closely.
• Climate - if there is one thing that St. Augustine can boast, that would be its climate; it has a mild and humid temperature all year round with occasional rain falls. The place is just a perfect Florida getaway anytime of the year.
• Transportation - you can be in St. Augustine by water, land and air. If you want to have more romantic time going to the place, you can choose to travel through the sea as you can see so many panoramic views along the way.
• Accommodation - since it is one of the historical and famous places in the world, you can expect to find 5-star hotels in the heart of the city. For travelers on a tight budget, there are also cheaper hotels with good services and amenities. When it comes to accommodation, you do not have to worry about it that much especially when you are in the place.
The Northeastern part of Florida has been blessed with so lots of pristine beaches, panoramic views, clean air and hospitable people. Either you want to spend your holiday in Jacksonville, Amelia Island or St. Augustine, you can ensure to have pleasurable stay and enjoyable experience. Any time of the year, these places are open for tourists and vacationers. So, the next time you want to have quality time, Northeast Florida can be your best choice.
credit:
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Welcome to travel smile fun !!
Welcome to my blog.
My blog name "Travel, Smile, Fun". You'll find the journey fun and smile with us.Thank you for your interest. We will try to find something useful to share you.
Bossturteam
My blog name "Travel, Smile, Fun". You'll find the journey fun and smile with us.Thank you for your interest. We will try to find something useful to share you.
Bossturteam
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Best blog promotion techniques
I have been asked this question several times, and i decided to write this ultimate guide to blog promotion. In this guide i will present to you the best techniques to promote your blog. You can use all these techniques to promote your blogs and monetize your web presence. Either you want to cover your hosting costs or to start a professional blogger career, you will find this guide really helpful. Feel free to suggest any other technique if you think i should add it to my list.
Optimize your blog pages
Quality content consistently: You can spend a lot of money (or time) trying to promote your blog, either using pay per click, or buying traffic, but remember all the marketing in the world is useless if you have poor content. Blog Promotion starts with great content.When updated regularly, good content is the best promotion you can do for your blog. This can be a tedious task, especially in the beginning, but don't give up. Without content your blog will sink in an ocean of useless information. You can write the content your self or pay for it: you can buy articles or hire a ghost writer, we will explore thes options later.
Target your niche: You have to become an expert on something, you need to specialize in one field. Each blog needs to target a special niche either technical, artistic, social, politics or sports you need to focus on your niche. You need to become an expert of the niche you are targeting, so continue to read and write consistently, and you will see that bloggers will find you, recommend your blog on their posts, bookmark you, it is the best way to get noticed, linked to and cross promoted.
Design is really important : First impressions count, your design is the first thing readers will notice about your blog, that's why you have to take your design seriously. Don't use a template or theme unaltered. You need to break away from the blogging masses. So if you don't want to buy a custom design you will have to edit your templates yourself. You need to tweak your css files and your images or have a web programmer do it for you.
Optimize your blog for the search engines: It is recommended that you have your own domain name, host your own blogging software like wordpress which is free and open source. You also need to change your settings to enable permalinks, or seo friendly urls, install a meta tags creation module to edit your meta tags. Enable ping and track back in order to notify the search engines when you publish a new post.
Manage your rss feeds: Rss feeds are the best way to syndicate your content on other sites or rss readers like google reader or yahoo... You need to help your readers find your RSS feeds, so make it visible, you can get a big subscribe widget on your sidebar. You will also need to publish full feeds and not only abstracts, don't be afraid of content scrapers. Full feeds will increase your feed subscribers. Try third party services like feedburner that allow you so syndicate your content, track how many subscribers you have, usually subscribers rarely unsubscribe.
Interviews: try to interview some specialist in your niche or some newsworthy individuals, this can generate traffic to your blog through the link in their blogs or websites, since people will tend to link back to their interviews. Even better, manage to get interviewed. If you have done something newsworthy you can mange to get interviewed.
Get the scoop: You will need to find fresh news either online or offline, and then you will need to be among the first people talking about it, which will increase your chances to be picked up by others and even by authority news channels.
Offer contests: Contests will enhance your readers participation to your blog and can create a buzz in your niche category. Try to offer simple contests and keep your readers informed, try also to interview the contest winners or make them leave testimonials.
Press Releases: Use press releases to announce your new accomplishments (that are interesting for other to read), Particularly if you have something unique, useful, important to say. A simple search will find several press release services providers, some of them are free.
Choose the right keywords: Avoid popular keywords since the competition can be very hard in certain niches, you can use a free service called Hit Tail to find the right keywords you should target. Keywords with good search volumes and low competition will bring much more traffic than popular keywords.
Manage your comments: You need to enable comments on every post, moderate them to avoid blogspammers, and also answer your comments either on your comments sections or even offblog. Treat each comment poster as a potential subscriber or future friend or contact.
Backlinks and trackbacks: Manage to include relevant outbound links in your posts to high linking blogs or authority web sites, many blogs have trackbacks enabled and will have a link back to your post in their comments or posts. Everybody wants to know who is linking to them.
Connections and social bookmarking
Connect with other bloggers: Networking is really important, interact with other bloggers, read and comment theirs posts, add the most relevant blogs to your blogroll it increases your chances to get linked back. Request interviews, partnerships keep promoting your blog in your niche. Build a relevant network for your blog.
MyBlogLog MyBlogLog — is a powerful tool for bloggers that enables you to build a free community. In order to achieve this, you need to be an active member on MyBlogLog. Get the widget that displays who visited your blog, enhance your profile, join communities, add other bloggers as friends, join their blogs communities, visit their blogs, send messages, comments... You need to build your own blog community, increase the number of friends or readers, and generate traffic.
Facebook: It is a very popular social network. It can generate a lot of traffic. It is similar to other social networks, it allows you to find old friends, join communities, edit your profile, your preferences, manage events... But you can also import your rss feeds from your blogs, which is an amazing feature, since all your connections can read your posts, and visit your blog, and it also means that your will have links to your posts on a popular highly visited and well ranked website.
Helium: Helium is a new site that is actively looking for people to contribute in different categories. If you are a successful writer and have a special interest or knowledge that isn’t yet published on Helium you might want to contact them; Helium pays you for the content you provide them and allows you to link back your blog in your profile page, so you can benefit from an extra visibility.
Yahoo Answers! on Yahoo Answers you can answer questions that other people are posting. Yahoo uses a no follow tag for the urls it publishes, so the links will not help you increase your page rank. But it will certainly generate traffic to your pages if well used. Do not try to promote your pages on it, you should try to answer the questions in a clear way.
MySpace: Myspace is by far the most popular networking website, but it addresses a certain clientele. Build your profile, add friends, Add comments in friend’s profiles which Builds page views to your profile which Increases friend requests you get. Once you have a decent amount of friend’s, you can post a bulletin that goes to all of them, This needs to be interesting otherwise it will be ignored.
Squidoo : Participate in the Squidoo community. Squidoo has a lot of traffic, and you could funnel and redirect traffic by including links On a given related topic to your blog
Digg / Netscape / Reddit / Stumble upon: Are social bookmarking sites you need to get noticed on. You can read my previous post on social bookmarking sites here.
Meet real people: Find other local bloggers. And meet them, you can use services like Meetup.com to organize meetings in your area. It is actually the best way to make friends that share your interests, and potentially lead to a partnership, Bring a business card, and if you don't have one, what are you waiting for?
virtual groups: join virtual groups like Yahoo Groups, Google groups, Usenet, and more; participate in conversations, interact with others, be friendly and helpful.
Cross promotion: Once you managed to build a good community you can start cross promoting, you can kindly remind them to promote your posts or Digg them ...
Increase your visibility
Join a blog carnival: to blog about a topic, then each blog in the carnival gets promoted. Here’s an index of blog carnivals.
Join blog networks: like 9rules, b5media, and others, there is networking potential, income potential, and quality incoming links for you.
Join forums: Forums are an easy way to not only connect with other individuals, but an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and a link back to your blog
Join Blogburst: Blogburst is a type of “blog network”, which syndicates content across American newspaper’s websites, such as USA Today and Reuters.
Submit to blog directories: So people can find your blog.
Submit to article directories: You can submit your favourite posts to article directories. The article might get picked up in a ezine or another blog, leading to more traffic and more inbound links.
PPC campaigns you can use adwords, Overture or other PPC engines if you want fast targeted traffic, but it can be expensive depending on your niche keywords. You can also try to buy bulk or targeted traffic but it is usually poor non converting traffic.
All these Techniques combined together will certainly help you promote your blog, feel free to comment them, or to share other techniques you experienced so we can all benefit from knowledge sharing.
Quality content consistently: You can spend a lot of money (or time) trying to promote your blog, either using pay per click, or buying traffic, but remember all the marketing in the world is useless if you have poor content. Blog Promotion starts with great content.When updated regularly, good content is the best promotion you can do for your blog. This can be a tedious task, especially in the beginning, but don't give up. Without content your blog will sink in an ocean of useless information. You can write the content your self or pay for it: you can buy articles or hire a ghost writer, we will explore thes options later.
Target your niche: You have to become an expert on something, you need to specialize in one field. Each blog needs to target a special niche either technical, artistic, social, politics or sports you need to focus on your niche. You need to become an expert of the niche you are targeting, so continue to read and write consistently, and you will see that bloggers will find you, recommend your blog on their posts, bookmark you, it is the best way to get noticed, linked to and cross promoted.
Design is really important : First impressions count, your design is the first thing readers will notice about your blog, that's why you have to take your design seriously. Don't use a template or theme unaltered. You need to break away from the blogging masses. So if you don't want to buy a custom design you will have to edit your templates yourself. You need to tweak your css files and your images or have a web programmer do it for you.
Optimize your blog for the search engines: It is recommended that you have your own domain name, host your own blogging software like wordpress which is free and open source. You also need to change your settings to enable permalinks, or seo friendly urls, install a meta tags creation module to edit your meta tags. Enable ping and track back in order to notify the search engines when you publish a new post.
Manage your rss feeds: Rss feeds are the best way to syndicate your content on other sites or rss readers like google reader or yahoo... You need to help your readers find your RSS feeds, so make it visible, you can get a big subscribe widget on your sidebar. You will also need to publish full feeds and not only abstracts, don't be afraid of content scrapers. Full feeds will increase your feed subscribers. Try third party services like feedburner that allow you so syndicate your content, track how many subscribers you have, usually subscribers rarely unsubscribe.
Interviews: try to interview some specialist in your niche or some newsworthy individuals, this can generate traffic to your blog through the link in their blogs or websites, since people will tend to link back to their interviews. Even better, manage to get interviewed. If you have done something newsworthy you can mange to get interviewed.
Get the scoop: You will need to find fresh news either online or offline, and then you will need to be among the first people talking about it, which will increase your chances to be picked up by others and even by authority news channels.
Offer contests: Contests will enhance your readers participation to your blog and can create a buzz in your niche category. Try to offer simple contests and keep your readers informed, try also to interview the contest winners or make them leave testimonials.
Press Releases: Use press releases to announce your new accomplishments (that are interesting for other to read), Particularly if you have something unique, useful, important to say. A simple search will find several press release services providers, some of them are free.
Choose the right keywords: Avoid popular keywords since the competition can be very hard in certain niches, you can use a free service called Hit Tail to find the right keywords you should target. Keywords with good search volumes and low competition will bring much more traffic than popular keywords.
Manage your comments: You need to enable comments on every post, moderate them to avoid blogspammers, and also answer your comments either on your comments sections or even offblog. Treat each comment poster as a potential subscriber or future friend or contact.
Backlinks and trackbacks: Manage to include relevant outbound links in your posts to high linking blogs or authority web sites, many blogs have trackbacks enabled and will have a link back to your post in their comments or posts. Everybody wants to know who is linking to them.
Connections and social bookmarking
Connect with other bloggers: Networking is really important, interact with other bloggers, read and comment theirs posts, add the most relevant blogs to your blogroll it increases your chances to get linked back. Request interviews, partnerships keep promoting your blog in your niche. Build a relevant network for your blog.
MyBlogLog MyBlogLog — is a powerful tool for bloggers that enables you to build a free community. In order to achieve this, you need to be an active member on MyBlogLog. Get the widget that displays who visited your blog, enhance your profile, join communities, add other bloggers as friends, join their blogs communities, visit their blogs, send messages, comments... You need to build your own blog community, increase the number of friends or readers, and generate traffic.
Facebook: It is a very popular social network. It can generate a lot of traffic. It is similar to other social networks, it allows you to find old friends, join communities, edit your profile, your preferences, manage events... But you can also import your rss feeds from your blogs, which is an amazing feature, since all your connections can read your posts, and visit your blog, and it also means that your will have links to your posts on a popular highly visited and well ranked website.
Helium: Helium is a new site that is actively looking for people to contribute in different categories. If you are a successful writer and have a special interest or knowledge that isn’t yet published on Helium you might want to contact them; Helium pays you for the content you provide them and allows you to link back your blog in your profile page, so you can benefit from an extra visibility.
Yahoo Answers! on Yahoo Answers you can answer questions that other people are posting. Yahoo uses a no follow tag for the urls it publishes, so the links will not help you increase your page rank. But it will certainly generate traffic to your pages if well used. Do not try to promote your pages on it, you should try to answer the questions in a clear way.
MySpace: Myspace is by far the most popular networking website, but it addresses a certain clientele. Build your profile, add friends, Add comments in friend’s profiles which Builds page views to your profile which Increases friend requests you get. Once you have a decent amount of friend’s, you can post a bulletin that goes to all of them, This needs to be interesting otherwise it will be ignored.
Squidoo : Participate in the Squidoo community. Squidoo has a lot of traffic, and you could funnel and redirect traffic by including links On a given related topic to your blog
Digg / Netscape / Reddit / Stumble upon: Are social bookmarking sites you need to get noticed on. You can read my previous post on social bookmarking sites here.
Meet real people: Find other local bloggers. And meet them, you can use services like Meetup.com to organize meetings in your area. It is actually the best way to make friends that share your interests, and potentially lead to a partnership, Bring a business card, and if you don't have one, what are you waiting for?
virtual groups: join virtual groups like Yahoo Groups, Google groups, Usenet, and more; participate in conversations, interact with others, be friendly and helpful.
Cross promotion: Once you managed to build a good community you can start cross promoting, you can kindly remind them to promote your posts or Digg them ...
Increase your visibility
Join a blog carnival: to blog about a topic, then each blog in the carnival gets promoted. Here’s an index of blog carnivals.
Join blog networks: like 9rules, b5media, and others, there is networking potential, income potential, and quality incoming links for you.
Join forums: Forums are an easy way to not only connect with other individuals, but an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and a link back to your blog
Join Blogburst: Blogburst is a type of “blog network”, which syndicates content across American newspaper’s websites, such as USA Today and Reuters.
Submit to blog directories: So people can find your blog.
Submit to article directories: You can submit your favourite posts to article directories. The article might get picked up in a ezine or another blog, leading to more traffic and more inbound links.
PPC campaigns you can use adwords, Overture or other PPC engines if you want fast targeted traffic, but it can be expensive depending on your niche keywords. You can also try to buy bulk or targeted traffic but it is usually poor non converting traffic.
All these Techniques combined together will certainly help you promote your blog, feel free to comment them, or to share other techniques you experienced so we can all benefit from knowledge sharing.
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