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In Metro Manila, Philippines, tourism is a significant industry. In 2012, the city and the region welcomed 974,379 overnight visitors. Serving as the main gateway to the Philippines' numerous destinations, the city attracts mainly international tourists, with a total of 3,139,756 visitors in 2012. Global Blue ranks Manila as the eleventh 'Best Shopping Destination' in Asia. The city holds the tenth position in MasterCard's global top 20 fastest-growing cities for international visitors from 2009 to 2013.
Metro Manila contains several notable attractions including a UNESCO World Heritage Site and 45 other cultural heritage landmarks. [1] These cultural attractions are mostly concentrated in the City of Manila and have connections to the city's Chinese, Spanish, and American origins. Popular sites include the Spanish colonial buildings in Intramuros, the World Heritage Site of San Agustin Church, Rizal Park, and a few Art Deco and Revival style buildings like National Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of Fine Arts, and National Museum of Natural History. Manila also has more than 380 historical markers of historic people, places, and events, more than any other place in the country. Metro Manila has a total of more than 520 markers.
There are also modern attractions in the metropolis such as the Manila Ocean Park, the integrated resort complex of Resorts World Manila, and the newly opened Solaire Resort & Casino, City of Dreams Manila and Okada Manila in Entertainment City.
Intramuros is a historic fortified complex housing Manila's oldest colonial structures. Tourist attractions within the complex include Fort Santiago, a Spanish citadel located at the mouth of the Pasig River near Manila Cathedral — an ecclesiastical building dating back to the 19th century, serving as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Additionally, San Agustin Church, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, adds to the historical significance of the area.
Just outside Intramuros lies Rizal Park, a historical urban park spanning 58 hectares (140 acres) along Roxas Boulevard. At the heart of the park stands the Rizal Monument, serving as a memorial to the Philippine national hero, José Rizal. Museums in Manila include the National Museum of Anthropology, featuring anthropology and archaeology exhibits; the National Museum of Fine Arts, formerly known as the National Art Gallery; and the National Museum of Natural History, offering insights into Philippine history.
The districts of Ermita and Malate form Manila's center for culture, commerce, entertainment, and tourism. Ermita, situated outside the walls of Intramuros near Luneta, houses major government buildings and numerous hotels. The Manila Ocean Park, an oceanarium with a marine-themed mall and hotel, is located behind the Quirino Grandstand, which fronts Rizal Park. Malate, renowned as the tourism center of Manila, is famous for the Baywalk and the nightlife district along Adriatico Street. The district also hosts the Manila Zoo, the oldest zoo and botanical garden in the Philippines. Binondo, an ancient district known as Manila's Chinatown, has been established since 1521, featuring attractions such as Binondo Church, Escolta Street, Divisoria, and various Chinese restaurants. Quiapo is home to Quiapo Church, housing the Black Nazarene, while the San Sebastian Church in Quiapo stands as the only all-steel Gothic basilica in Asia.
Major parks in Manila include Paco Park, a recreational garden that was once a Spanish cemetery located in the district of Paco. Along the banks of the Pasig River, Malacañang Palace serves as the official residence of the President of the Philippines.
Makati CBD, one of Southeast Asia's largest financial hubs, is renowned for its cosmopolitan culture. Serving as a major cultural and entertainment hub in Metro Manila, the city plays a pivotal role in the region's economic landscape. Additionally, the business districts of Ortigas Center and Bonifacio Global City are significant cultural, financial, and entertainment hubs in the metropolis.
Bay City, situated along Manila Bay, stands as an entertainment and leisure hub. Home to prominent destinations such as SM Mall of Asia, Aseana City, and the evolving Entertainment City, designed as a Las Vegas-like gaming and entertainment complex. This development features world-class integrated resorts and casinos, including Solaire Resort & Casino, City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila, with additional establishments still under construction. Bay City is also home to the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, a 62-hectare (150-acre) arts and culture district along the scenic Manila Bay
Manila is the main shopping hub of the Philippines and is one of the well-known shopping destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. [2] Numerous shopping centers are located around the metropolis and are usually clustered in major shopping districts such as the Bonifacio Global City and Ortigas Center while upscale-luxury shopping centers are concentrated in the business and financial district of Ayala Center. Traditional markets still remain a presence in Manila such as bazaars and markets.
A number of hotels and casinos can be found around Metro Manila. Makati, the financial hub of the metropolis is home to numerous international hotel chains. Manila is also home to various casinos and is becoming a major gaming destination in the region. A gaming and entertainment complex called Entertainment City will be home to four integrated casino resorts, this major development is expected to attract more tourists and rival other major gaming destinations in Asia such as Macau and Singapore. [3] [4]
Manila offers a wide selection of parks and plazas. The county's premier park, Rizal Park is located in the heart of the city. The park was the site of the execution of the country's national hero, Jose Rizal. Apart from Rizal Park, there also other parks located around Metro Manila such as Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City and the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati. Plazas are usually found in the districts of Manila, notable ones are Plaza Miranda, Plaza de Roma, Plaza Rajah Sulayman and Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz.
Festivals in Metro Manila include the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which is held every January in Quiapo district, and it is the biggest religious festival in the city[ weasel words ]. Chinese New Year is celebrated in Binondo district, the world's oldest Chinatown. Aliwan Fiesta is held annually in the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex, and it is a celebration of Filipino culture through dance parades, floats, and pageants.
Film festivals include Cinemanila International Film Festival, which is the biggest global film event in Manila. Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is another film festival held annually in July at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Metro Manila Film Festival is held every December during Christmas, and it is an all-Filipino-language film event.
Other events include Manila International Auto Show, the Philippines' biggest motor show at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, and the World Pyro Olympics, an annual competition among the world's fireworks companies held in SM Mall of Asia by Manila Bay.
Metropolitan Manila, commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region, is the capital region and largest metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, the region lies between the Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions. Encompassing an area of 619.57 km2 (239.22 sq mi) and with a population of 13,484,462 as of 2020, it is composed of sixteen highly urbanized cities: the capital city, Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, along with one independent municipality, Pateros. As the second most populous and the most densely populated region in the Philippines, it ranks as the 9th most populous metropolitan area in Asia and the 6th most populous urban area in the world.
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most-populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. As of 2019, it is the world's most densely populated city proper. It was the first chartered city in the country, and was designated as such by the Philippine Commission Act No. 183 on July 31, 1901. It became autonomous with the passage of Republic Act No. 409, "The Revised Charter of the City of Manila", on June 18, 1949. Manila is considered to be part of the world's original set of global cities because its commercial networks were the first to extend across the Pacific Ocean and connect Asia with the Spanish Americas through the galleon trade; when this was accomplished, it was the first time an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circling the planet had been established.
Intramuros is the 0.67-square-kilometer (0.26 sq mi) historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Binondo is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the Spaniards as a settlement near Intramuros but across the Pasig River for Catholic Chinese; it was positioned so that the colonial administration could keep a close eye on their migrant subjects. It was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spanish colonial period. Binondo is the center of commerce and trade of Manila, where all types of business run by Filipino-Chinese thrive.
Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth, bordered by the districts of Tondo, Binondo, Quiapo, and Sampaloc, as well as the areas of Grace Park and Barrio San Jose in Caloocan and the district of La Loma in Quezon City. The district belongs to the 3rd congressional district of Manila.
The University Belt is the name of a de facto subdistrict in Manila, Philippines, referring to an area that has a significant concentration of major colleges and universities in the city. The districts of Quiapo, Sampaloc, and San Miguel are traditionally considered to be the University Belt, although other clusters of schools that lie along the southern bank of the Pasig River, mostly at the districts of Intramuros and Ermita, as well as the southernmost part of Malate near the city limits are also sometimes included. Each of the colleges and universities found in the district are a short walking distance of each other.
Bay City, also known as the Manila Bay Freeport Zone and Manila Bay Area, is the name for the reclamation area on Manila Bay located west of Roxas Boulevard and the Manila–Cavite Expressway in Metro Manila, the Philippines. The area is split between the cities of Manila and Pasay on the north side and Parañaque on the south.
Manila, also known as Tondo until 1859, was a province of the Philippines that encompassed the former pre-Hispanic polities of Tondo, Maynila, and Namayan. In 1898, it comprised the city of Manila and 23 other municipalities. In 1901, the province was dissolved, with the city of Manila absorbing six of its smaller neighboring municipalities. The remaining part was merged with the adjacent district of Morong to form the province of Rizal.
Quezon Boulevard is a short stretch of highway in Manila, Philippines running north–south through the district of Quiapo. It is a six- to ten-lane 1.1-kilometer-long (0.68 mi) divided boulevard designated as a component of National Route 170 (N170) of the Philippine highway network, except for its service roads, and Radial Road 8 (R-8) of Manila's arterial road network which links the center of Manila to North Luzon Expressway in Quezon City in the north. The boulevard is the main access to the popular Quiapo Church and is one of the main thoroughfares of the University Belt area.
Numerous events and festivals are held annually in Metro Manila. They include:
Plaza Calderón de la Barca is a major public square in Binondo, Manila, bounded by Quintin Paredes Street to the east and Juan Luna Street to the west, parallel to the Estero de Binondo. It is the plaza that fronts the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, one of the main churches of the City of Manila, and is considered the center of Binondo as a whole.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city and metropolitan area of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.
The Liwasang Bonifacio, also known by its former name, Plaza Lawton, is a city square and transport hub in front of the Manila Central Post Office in the Ermita district of Manila, Philippines. It lies at the south end of Jones Bridge, MacArthur Bridge, and Quezon Bridge that link the northern districts of Binondo, Santa Cruz, and Quiapo to the central district of Ermita. The plaza straddles the dividing line between Ermita and Intramuros and is the starting point of Padre Burgos Avenue which connects to Taft Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Rizal Park.
Circumferential Road 1 (C-1), informally known as the C-1 Road, is a network of roads and bridges that all together form the first and innermost beltway of Metro Manila in the Philippines. Spanning some 5.98 kilometers (3.72 mi), it connects the districts of Ermita, Intramuros, San Miguel, Quiapo, Sampaloc, Santa Cruz, Binondo, San Nicolas, and Tondo in Manila.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Metro Manila:
Jose W. Diokno Boulevard, officially J. W. Diokno Boulevard, is a 4.38-kilometer (2.72 mi) long major collector road that runs north–south along the eastern perimeter of the SM Mall of Asia complex and parallel to Macapagal Boulevard in Bay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It provides access from the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex and Roxas Boulevard north to the shopping and lifestyle hub by Manila Bay in Pasay. Motorists tend to use the highway as the less congested alternative route from Manila to the Bay City vis-à-vis its parallel partner road in Macapagal Boulevard. It also connects to Entertainment City further south in Parañaque, and unlike Macapagal Boulevard is situated along the coastline overlooking Manila Bay.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Philippine capital region of Metro Manila.