TOURISM SECRETARY JOSEPH ?Ace? Durano says he gets a natural high out of coming up with novel tourism packages to market to travelers here and abroad.

And the department under Durano has come up with plenty.

There are diving excursions in Anilao, Batangas; Apo Reef, Negros Oriental, and Coron, Palawan; whale watching adventures in Donsol, Sorsogon; ecotourism tours in Bohol and Ifugao; beach frolics in Cebu; surfing escapades in La Union, Aurora and Siargao; and even food trips in Laguna and Quezon.

The latest to be added to the list are bird-watching tours, which he believes will bring in significant tourism dollars to the Philippine economy.

?There are a lot of tourists out there who travel the world to look at birds. Some of them do come here, so what we need to do is to properly package the products. We have to let the world discover the Philippines as a destination for bird watching,? Durano tells Inquirer.

The Philippines, he says, definitely has a lot to offer as it is home to an estimated 600 species of birds, of which more than a third?like the Philippine eagle and the Cebu flower pecker?can only be found here.

The Philippines can thus boast that it has the most endemic bird species per square kilometer in the world, beating Brazil and Indonesia.

Bird-watching tours in the pipeline will take visitors to places like Candaba, Pampanga, Olango Island in Cebu and Agusan Marsh in Mindanao, where thousands of migratory birds from mainland Asia and Japan come to rest to escape the winter.

Durano says the time is right to spread the word on the Philippines because of the growing interest worldwide in the pleasures of bird watching.

The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines reports that birding or bird watching is one of the fastest growing recreational activities in the world, with 47.7 million in the United States alone participating in birding activities in 2006.

Filipinos are also starting to appreciate the birds around them, but there is still an urgent need to educate the locals on the importance of taking care of these beautiful animals.

This is why the DOT and the WBCP are joining hands to promote the 4th Philippine Bird Festival to be held on Sept. 12 and 13 in Puerto Princesa. The dates mark the start of the annual winter migration of birds from north Asia.

The bird festival will be held this year in Palawan to highlight efforts to protect its forest, wetlands and coastal habitats. This year?s logo is the Palawan Peacock Pheasant, which is found only in this ecologically-diverse province.

?The Philippine Bird Festival aims to get people excited about nature and conservation through recreational bird watching and bird photography,? WBCP president Michael Lu says in a statement.

Durano is also confident that as communities earn from the dollars to be brought in by bird watchers from other countries, they will be further encouraged to take care of the environment and stop the killing of these birds, many of which are endangered.

The DOT is packaging the bird-watching tours as part of the Adventure Philippines program, which is run together with Recreational Outdoor Exchange, one of the country?s leading retailers of outdoor apparel and equipment.

Adventure Philippines is part of the department?s campaign to get a big slice of the world?s growing market for adventure tourism and nurture the local adventure travel community.

?Adventure tourism is getting to be a multibillion-dollar global industry, accounting for a fifth of the world?s tourism market. Travelers all over the world are searching for more adrenaline-packed activities and excitement, more than the usual scenic packages. And we have what it takes to bring them to the Philippines,? Durano says.

?New activities such as bird watching will also open up new destinations to the world,? he adds.

To bring ?Adventure Philippines? to the market, the DOT is putting together Philippine Travel Exchange 2008.

Phitex, which will be held on Sept. 10-11 at the SMX Convention Center, is expected to attract wholesale travel buyers from some 20 countries that are looking for packages revolving around activities such as bird watching, mountain trekking and climbing, camping and whitewater rafting.

Phitex will be followed by the Philippine Travel Mart to be held at the SM Megamall on Sept. 12-14.

The DOT is pinning its hopes on adventure travelers to help boost this year?s total visitor arrivals to a record 3.5 million despite economic difficulties in traditional sources of visitors such as the United States and Japan.

?The DOT is strongly promoting adventure tourism to selected foreign markets while encouraging the local industry players to adapt their product development efforts to this emerging trend and cash in on the opportunities,? Durano says.