Health Aficionados Assemble for Fitness Convention

Health and fitness conscious participants gathered during the 15^th National Fitness Convention held at the Ruby Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila in Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City last October 3-5, 2008.

Guided by the theme, “Fitness in the Age of Change“, the convention featured group exercise, personal training, and fitness management topics that aim to update fitness professionals with the latest trends and studies on staying healthy

Various seminars gave trainers and instructors new insights on how they conduct their training class, which includes choosing more vibrant exercise music, monitoring heart rate, training ethics, membership retention, nutrition and hydration tips and presentation development for trainers.

These topics were discussed by some of the best names in fitness and health. Among those who shared their knowledge are Lluis Noguer, Director of Sport at Club Q in Barcelona; Randy Huntington, former US Olympic Training Center Coordinator (Track and Field); Anthony Peterson, Vice President of International Sales and Marketing at Keiser; and David Velez, International Fitness Presenter for California Fitness.

This event was presented by Fitness Network Philippines and Keiser in cooperation with Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Cybex, Sport Fit Inc., Walter Sugar-free Wheat Bread, and Business World.

Tourism Heads Focus on Climate, Poverty and Women at International Cebu Forum

Representatives from different countries tackled issues on climate change, poverty alleviation, and role of women in tourism at the 6th International Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities (ITF-PLA) held last October 22-25, 2008 at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa, Cebu.

Delegates from 157 countries attended the biennial Tourism Forum, made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Department of Tourism (DOT), City Government of Cebu (http://www.cebu.gov.ph/), the Philippine Congress, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

President Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo during the opening ceremony stated that the ITF-PLA should not only focus on current issues affecting the tourism industry but to attend to the dilemmas that will continue to influence and have an effect on tourism in the years to come. Furthermore, she emphasized to “keep our faith in tourism as a powerful instrument to alleviate poverty.”

UNWTO Secretary General Francesco Frangialli, DOT Secretary Joseph ‘Ace’ Durano, and House Representative Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia gave the keynote addresses on Policy and Legislation for Tourism Development.

First held at Cadiz, Spain in 1995, the ITF-PLA assembles tourism heads, representatives and lawmakers from 154 member states and more than 350 affiliate members categorized under Business, Destination, and Education Council.

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BiyahengPinas.com thanks the following sources for this article:

UN World Tourism Organization. Affiliate Members Directory. Retrieved on October 24, 2008
http://www.unwto.org/afiliados/directory/directory.php?lang=I
http://www.unwto.org/afiliados/about_us/en/about_us.php#

Cruz, Irene Sino. Visayas Bureau, INQUIRER.net. International tourism meet seen to boost Cebu, Bohol. Retrieved on October 24, 2008
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20080205-116971/International-tourism-meet-seen-to-boost-Cebu-Bohol

Office of the President. PGMA's Speech during the Opening Ceremony of the UN-WTO 6th International Tourism for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities (October 22, 2008). Retrieved on October 24, 2008
http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/speech2008_oct22A.htm

Gov.Ph News. PGMA to open 6th U.N. tourism forum in Cebu Wednesday. Retrieved on October 24, 2008
http://www.gov.ph/news/?i=22574

GMANews.TV. UN tourism meet in Cebu to tackle global issues. Retrieved on October 24, 2008
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/119491/UN-tourism-meet-in-Cebu-to-tackle-global-issues

Lato, Cris Evert. Cebu Daily News. Posted on INQUIRER.net. Cebu to host global forum on tourism development. Retrieved on October 24, 2008
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/enterprise/view/20080910-159773/Cebu-to-host-global-forum-on-tourism-development