LOCAL and foreign travel consultants alike can now secure permits to visit the Puerto Princesa underground river through a new automated online booking system.
Launched by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism and the City Government of Puerto Princesa, the system was developed to smoothen the permit application process, which had caused much confusion due to soaring visitor numbers and the quota on permits for environmental reasons.
Puerto Princesa has witnessed a 45 per cent jump in tourism arrivals since 2011 after the underground river was declared one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
