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THE PHILIPPINE KAYAKING SERIES 2009, 3RD & FINAL LEG TO BE THE CEBU-BOHOL CROSSING

WHY KAYAK?  The Philippines is one big coastal community,  being  the second largest archipelago on the planet after Indonesia. With 64 out of 79 provinces having coastlines and 7,107 islands, it is a natural playing field for water sports, environment and adventure tourism activities.

Kayaking is one of the most popular  aquasport worldwide belonging to the paddling community, to name some, canoeing, sculling, dragon boating and most recently surf board paddling. This is also because kayaking is an Olympic sport. While it can be considered an extreme sport featured in adventure races, it complements many recreational and environmental activities and causes, such as bird watching, fishing, diving, photography and ecotouring. The market potential of kayaking can be considered wide and diverse, with disciplines on whitewater kayaking, slalom, kayak surfing, river kayaking, sprint, touring, among them.   

Kayaking easily caught on and will continue its popularity, the Philippines being a maritime country.  We identify the kayak as the modern and streamlined version of the “banca.,”  the most popular paddle boat while different canoes have evolved over time in different regions. Go back to 1993 when kayaking was virtually unknown in almost all parts of the country. Sit-in and sit-on kayaks were introduced in the watersports concession of  Sun and Sea Sports Systems,Inc.in then major resorts, Puerto Azul, Punta Baluarte, White Rock. Believing in its potential, Sun and Sea  introduced and promoted kayaks in boat shows, travel marts and media notably in Luzon, Cebu and Davao resorts and clubs.

THE KAYAK FEVER reached its peak with the adventure and competitive challenges presented by the Philippine Kayaking Series and the organization of the Philippine Kayaking Association in 1997.  The objectives were to introduce and promote kayaking as an adventure sport in natural tourist destinations and work with local communities to help conserve the environment.  Since then, different faces of adventure racing and tour packages include kayaking all over the country both as an extreme sport and as a recreational activity,.   

However, the  potentials of  bringing international tourists to capture a sizeable share in the international kayaking market has not been realized.  While almost all resorts offer kayaks and tour packages for that ultimate kayaking experience in the Philippines, we still cannot claim to be a kayaking destination. There is a need to bring these together with a strong promotional bid. The Philippine Kayaking Series 2009 can provide the common venue where all the components of Kayak Philippines can be promoted.       

THE SERIES CAN ALSO MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
It can serve as a cross-training venue for other adventure sports while community and corporate groups use it as a promotional medium, thus creating a pervasive scenario. Adventure, sports, challenge, environment and travel themes among others  may be developed and enhanced to serve different marketing strategies.

As with its success in introducing kayaking as an adventure sport, the Philippine Kayaking Series can prove to launch the country's bid to be a kayaking destination. On November 29, 2008, the Philippine Kayaking Series was relaunched with the Round Taal Volcano Island Kayak Regatta with hobie-cat sailors at the Taal Lake Yacht Club.  Action Asia Magazine, known for covering adventure events, brought out the circumnavigation of Taal Volcano Island and announcing Philippine Kayaking Series' 2009 forthcoming events. It also expressed its interest to cover them in the future.

Being an environment-friendly and user-friendly sport, advocacy is one of the strong points of kayaking. The spirit of social responsibility has become a dominant factor in these times of climate change and global challenges worldwide.  Kayaking can effectively send out  clear messages of the country's commitment to national development.


II    Objectives

The Philippine Kayaking Series 2009 continues to provide adventure races and recreational activities to achieve the following goals:

1.   To promote kayaking as a popular environment-friendly adventure and user-friendly water sport;
2.   To enhance sports tourism promotion and environment conservation.
3.   To develop the spirit of sportsmanship, camaraderie, discipline and good health
among  sports enthusiasts;


III    Major Kayaking Events and Kayak Philippine Archipelago Run

Three major kayaking events in Hundred Islands, Corregidor and Cebu-Bohol will be supported with expeditions and touring activities in different parts of the country.  A long-term plan to kayak the whole Philippines is now made more possible than five years ago with kayaks lined up in the coastal areas. The adventurous spirit of the Filipino can.   

Other smaller and pre-events are being planned to provide entry-level pre-qualifying runs and
touring in other areas.  This is aimed to generate participants and hype up the Philippine Kayaking Series. Resorts, LGUs, media and other clubs are being targeted to help generate
support and sponsorships. It would also accomplish reactivating and organizing Philippine Kayaking Association and kayak camps. The long-term goal is to have the Kayak Philippine Archipelago Run from Pagudpud to Davao .     

The Bohol Experience

In Bohol the first kayaks were seen when in 1997, Dr. Doyet Dumaluan brought home from the States, plans for stitch and glue, sit-ins and started building them. These came to be known as “Bugsai Sea Kayaks”; soon after, paddlers started exploring the islets, mangroves and hitherto unreachable coastal areas within the Bohol Marine Triangle.
In the year 2000, Bugsai teamed up with Bohol Xtreme and started “Moonlight Paddling”; a monthly night paddle adventure that allowed the paddler to enjoy the exciting and surreal view of the islands bathe by the light of the moon.
In 2001, the Bohol Paddlers hatched an ambitious plan of circumnavigating the islands of Central Visayas; starting with the Bohol. After the province it took more than six years before Cebu was taken in 2007, Siquijor followed in 2008 and the island of Negros last June.
The quest by this motley group of paddlers is to popularize kayak paddling. That it is not only a sport and a form of exercise, but as a way to commune with nature, enjoy the waters in and out of various coves, islets, nipa, mangrove forests and rivers; instilling upon anyone who cares to listen about the importance of the preservation and conservation of the environment specially our coastal resource.
The groups general plan next year, is to re-circumnavigate the island of Bohol, establish points for rests and refreshments all around the province and to visit these by kayak as often as possible.
The entry of the Philippine Kayaking Series is therefore a welcome complement to the plan. The “Kayak Explore Cebu-Bohol Crossing” would bring national attention to what is largely a local initiative. It would decidedly boost tourism and the influx would speed up the process of establishing a local kayak trail, an adjunct to the Philippine Kayaking Trail, the final aim of the Philippine Kayaking Series.

 




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