Agents want historic Intramuros district preserved

A group of independent travel agents in the Philippines are clamouring for legislation to preserve the historic district of Intramuros in Manila.

Dotted with Hispanic structures, historic Intramuros is one of the indelible marks left by the Spaniards who ruled the Philippines for centuries.

Robert Lim Joseph, president of the Network of Independent Travel Agencies (NITAS) and the Overseas Travel Service Corp, told TravelWeekly East that the private sector and NITAS believed the government should pay for the sustainable preservation of the district.

NITAS has 231 members.

Intramuros is a popular leg of the city tour offered by travel agents to Manila visitors, but Joseph said the district needed better packaging.

He said Intramuros needed to be revived in a way that leaves its character and 17th century ambience intact.

The travel expert said the area would have to include an area for ballroom dancing, a popular Philippine pastime, and a variety of restaurants. Intramuros has received aid and is expecting more from its old colonial masters - Spain, the United States and Japan.