Hop on, see the sights

By Tina Arceo-Dumlao

Singapore has it and so do the major cities in Europe. Finally, it is in the Philippines.

We're talking about the hop on, hop off service that gives tourists a convenient way of discovering or rediscovering the historic city of Manila and its environs.

Called Wow Manila Sakay Na!, the tour service costs only P500 for the whole day. For that amount, foreign and local tourists get to go around the city in a colorful, hard-to-miss van manned by well trained drivers and guides who can give them valuable information about each stop.

More information is available in the tourist-friendly map provided the passengers so they can get an even better idea of what's in store for them.

If they don't want to read, they can always listen to the video production shown inside the van that also gives tourists an idea of what to expect and see during the tour.

Pick-up times for each stop are conveniently indicated on the map so all the tourists/balikbayans have to do is be at the pick-up point 5-10 minutes before the pick-up time and they're off to the next stop.

There are 15 pick-up points in all, and at the end of the tour accredited and encouraged by the Department of Tourism, tourists will get a good idea of the shopping treats, good eating places and cultural and historical sites that make the capital of the Philippines a good place to visit.

The tour, which starts from 9 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 10 a.m. from Wednesday to Sunday and ends at 5 p.m., takes tourists to imbibe the spirit of Intramuros and Luneta, gorge on Filipino food, hunt for bargains at the Ayala Center or the SM Mall of Asia, sample the bars in Malate and then end the day by having a soothing spa/massage at one of the many wellness centers that dot the city.

The tour service was launched only last September by a group of veterans in the travel industry who believe that there is a tourist market out there for a service designed with independent travelers in mind.

These independent travelers do not want to be herded around the city by a professional tour guide, preferring instead to take their own time and just depend on a map or information material to guide themselves so that they can just concentrate on the sites that they are truly interested in.

With the hop on, hop off service, these independent travelers just need to take note of the van's next pick up time, so that they will be free to stay in particular drop off points, to shop, eat or soak the history.

Despite being new to the market, Wow Manila Sakay Na! is already gaining wide acceptance among foreign tourists and balikbayans wanting to see the city through new eyes, according to Rosalinda Ferrer, managing director of Busina Co. Inc., the group behind the Wow Manila Sakay Na! Hop On, Hop Off tour.

"Response to our service has been fantastic. We continue to have travelers from all over the world. We have had riders from Cuba, Vietnam, Australia, Korea, Singapore, United States, Netherlands and the United Kingdom," Ferrer said.

She added that the DOT has been helping the group by promoting the service in its international road shows and the company continues to look for partners to encourage more people to use the service.

The DOT recently presented the hop-on, hop-off service when it went to Taiwan and China and plans are underway to promote it in other countries, such as Japan, Korea and Russia, so that more people can appreciate what the capital of the Philippines has to offer.

"We provide a convenient way for people to see the best of what is to experience in Manila. Manila used to be a jump off point to other places like Cebu, Boracay and Palawan. We want to change that," Ferrer said.