Enterprising individuals looking to expand their business in a tropical setting might want to train their sights on San Vicente in Palawan. The newest destination in tourism circles is shaping up to be the place to be. Beyond its 14.7 km-long Long Beach, however, the town is gifted with many charms.
“San Vicente is blessed to have more than 100 kilometers of beach line spread across its 10 barangays,” Antonio Habana, president, United Tourism Enterprises Association of San Vicente (UNITEA) said in a Property webinar held Dec. 9. “It’s probably the only municipality in the Philippines where every barangay has a beachfront.” Within its 1,400 square kilometer landscape can be found beautiful mountains, waterfalls, and wooded areas.
There is even an area called “Little Baguio” because of its location high up in the mountains. “One moment you’re enjoying beach weather, then after 20 to 30 minutes of driving or hiking, you’ll need a jacket,” Habana said. Township developer Megaworld is in the process of setting up a sustainable boutique hotel and shophouse district in Paragua Coastown, its 462-ha property.
El Nido in the northern part of Palawan and Puerto Princesa in the south continue to be well-loved by tourists, but San Vicente is gaining traction with its longest beach line in the country and the second longest in the entire Southeast Asia.
In San Vicente, verdant treelines are just a stone’s throw from the shoreline.
What might also excite investors is the opportunity to own property in the masterplanned Mercato Shophouse District, where Megaworld has set aside lots ranging in size from 250 to 599 sqm. The developer has earmarked areas in its Porto Hotel District with lots measuring 450 to 1,199 sqm for boutique hotels. The combined total number of lots for both districts in Kemdeng, with its own beach line, is 240. Shophouses are mixed-use structures with commercial establishments at street level and residences on the upper floors.
Nestled within lush greenery, Paragua Coastown’s Porto Hotel District will rise just a few minutes away from the beach area.
Singapore’s decades-old, pastel-colored shophouses are some of the city state’s most photographed structures. In California and Oregon, they are known as “live-work” buildings.
Most shophouses are two levels, although in dense urban areas, they can go as high as three or four floors. In Singapore, some shophouses stand cheek by jowl and look like one continuous row. Their different colors and separate entrances are the only indications that they are independent structures. Shophouse variations can also be found in Southern China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Sri Lanka. “Our ecotourism township offers businesses and entrepreneurs such as hotel owners, restaurateurs, coffee shop and bar operators, and retail shop owners the chance to own land in San Vicente, particularly inside our master-planned beachside development,” said JR Abustan, head of sales and marketing, Megaworld Palawan.
Walking encouraged
Mercato Shophouse District and Porto Hotel District are connected by expansive sidewalks and bridges that encourage walking. Residents can look forward to walking amidst landscaped parks and gardens, and an esplanade along the creek. It will also have access to the Mangrove Reserve Park via an iconic bridge. “This district that we are developing in Kemdeng will have close access to the coastline of the Long Beach area of San Vicente, which has been designated as a Tourism Enterprise Zone (TEZ) by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority,” Abustan said.
Paragua Coastown makes for the perfect location for boutiquehotels that champion sustainable, green living. (Photo for illustration purposes only) -Photo credit: Pexel.com
TEZs have special incentives for tourism-related businesses such as tax holidays. Megaworld is known for master-planning its developments, ensuring that residents have a range of establishments offering goods and services, and Paragua Coastown is expected to get that same level of treatment and commitment.
This first area of will have several mixed-use developments, medical and wellness facilities, a church, and other leisure and institutional amenities once completed. Other areas for future developments include several town barangays, which will mostly have access to Long Beach, as well. “We will definitely have unique residential and recreational offerings inside Paragua Coastown, as well,” Abustan said.
“What we are building here will hopefully help San Vicente become the most popular ecotourism spot in Palawan and the entire country. But of course, we give utmost importance to sustainable real estate because this is what everyone will be looking for when they decide to invest in Palawan.”
The demand for wide open and green spaces grew while everyone was sheltering at home. “Post-pandemic, people are looking for nature-filled, openair areas,” said Howard Lance Uyking, assistant secretary for branding and marketing communications, Department of Tourism during the same seminar last month. “The biggest paradigm shift is people’s want for travel.
Building a cafe or a restaurant in a scenic, tourist-friendly beach town like San Vicente is always a good idea. Photo Credit: Pexel.com
Right now, the way San Vicente is going, we are really anchored on promoting the area as an ecotourism destination. It’s going to be different compared to other destinations around the world,” he added. The Mercato Shophouse District and Porto Hotel District will have direct access to San Vicente Town Proper and the San Vicente Airport via the municipal and coastal roads that traverse the township.
Megaworld expects to generate around P5 billion in sales from these projects. It has allocated P40 billion to develop the entire eco-tourism township in the next 10 to 15 years.