[Hidden Gem El Nido] ① 'Paradise on Earth' Found in a World Natural Heritage Travel Destination

Palawan El Nido Roadshow Held in the Philippines
First Launch in Korea... Hosted by Airswift and Sedario Hotel

El Nido, meaning home or nest in Spanish, is a small fishing village located at the northern tip of Palawan, Philippines. Although it is an unfamiliar area domestically, it is considered a highly popular travel destination among European tourists, comparable to the Maldives.

El Nido, a hidden gem of the Philippines.
[Photo by Trip Advisor]

While the Philippines' representative resorts are bustling with travelers every day, Palawan, which houses the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park designated as a World Natural Heritage site, and within Palawan, El Nido is regarded as a tranquil and serene travel destination, an earthly paradise optimized for meditation and healing.

El Nido is home to underwater corals and various tropical fish swimming among them, making it known as a paradise for snorkeling and diving. Additionally, its calm waves and shallow waters make it perfect for enjoying kayaking.

To promote El Nido, a hidden gem of the Philippines, AirSWIFT, the only local airline operating in the area, and Seda Lio Hotel, the largest hotel in El Nido, held a roadshow on the 25th at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. The two companies plan to launch full-scale sales calls targeting the Korean travel market following this event.

Maria Apo, head of the Philippine Tourism Department's Korea office, who attended the event, introduced El Nido by saying, "El Nido’s White Beach and Nacpan Beach are pristine areas where nature is perfectly preserved, making them ideal resort destinations for Korean travelers planning special overseas trips." She added, "El Nido has many beautiful and unique lagoons, and there are four different courses for island hopping tours, so we hope Korean travelers will fully enjoy the marine activities and relaxation that can only be experienced in El Nido."

AirSWIFT, the only airline operating domestic flights to El Nido in the Philippines, and Seda Lio Hotel, the largest hotel in El Nido, held a roadshow on the 25th at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. From the left in the photo: Jaeuk Lee, CEO of Aero One; Eriq Agaser, Director of Seda Hotel El Nido; Anne Marie V Kho, Sales Director of AirSWIFT; Nicole Daizylyn B. Timbreza, Manager of AirSWIFT; and Hyuk Choi, CEO of IRC. Photo by Jaeuk Lee

For this roadshow, Eriq Agaser, director of El Nido Seda Hotel, and Anne Marie V Kho, sales director of AirSWIFT, who visited Korea, emphasized regarding the first El Nido launch in Korea, "Compared to the routes Korean travelers have previously taken to El Nido, we will provide more accessible travel through the establishment of more comfortable infrastructure."

In El Nido, the Ayala Group, the Philippines' top conglomerate, owns the domestic airline AirSWIFT, Seda Lio Hotel, and Lio Hotel, building all infrastructure including airline, airport, and hotels in a single line. Director Agaser stated, "We will provide the safest and most convenient top-tier travel services to showcase a distinctly elevated quality of travel in El Nido."

Aero One, the official general sales agent (GSA) for El Nido in Korea, plans to launch El Nido resort packages optimized for families and couples starting next month, with itineraries including one night in Manila and two nights in El Nido. Lee Jae-wook, CEO of Aero One, who served as deputy representative of the Singapore Tourism Board until last year and is an expert in national marketing, emphasized, "Since I entered the travel industry through the Philippines, this holds special meaning. El Nido is a world-class travel destination I personally discovered, and although it has been perceived domestically as a luxury and hard-to-access destination, we aim to relaunch it this year as a more accessible resort destination."

In particular, CEO Lee said, "Above all, we will focus on minimizing the burden caused by the perception that existing El Nido hotels are excessively expensive."

"El Nido can be said to be Ayala Group’s island, as they led the establishment of the new El Nido airport (Lio Airport), own AirSWIFT, the only domestic airline operating to El Nido, and Seda Lio Hotel, which is just about a 10-minute golf cart ride away. Based on these strengths, we plan to provide an optimized El Nido travel experience."