Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly set to visit Legazpi City early August. DiCaprio’s visit is being worked out by Joyce Ramirez, director for International Publicity at PR Asia Worldwide. If it pushes through, the actor’s visit is seen to help boost the tourism industry of the Philippines, especially in Albay, with Legazpi City as a world-class eco-tourism destination.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda will launch a more aggressive and advanced socio-economic program that would make Albay the most liveable province across the country. He vowed to make the province known for having good schools, hospitals and environment. The new socio-economic platform under the program Albay Rising would firmly position the province in the map of the country economic road map for investment and tourism.

The City of Legazpi is currently undergoing an infrastructure and construction boom with several road and bridge projects nearing completion in and around the city’s vibrant business district. The centerpiece of these projects is the new seaside Legazpi Boulevard stretching more than 4 kilometers from the Embarcadero to Barangay Lamba in the south.

The province of Albay, because of its volcanic origins, is home to beaches with distinct black sands of the deepest ebony color. The black sand is a product of millions of years of natural erosion that pulverized the mighty volcanic rocks into fine-textured sands. Albay’s black sand beaches stretch across the province’s eastern seafront with the best ones found in the towns of Bacacay, Tiwi, Sto. Domingo, and the city of Legazpi.

The Bicol International Airport (Southern Luzon International Airport) is currently under construction in a 140-hectare prime land straddling Bicol’s premier town of Daraga and neighboring Camalig. The new airport, targeted for completion in 2013, will answer the need for a modern airport in Southern Luzon, which should cater to more business activities in the area and conveniently link Bicol to the rest of the country and the world. Here are some aerial snapshots of the ongoing construction of the airport and a glimpse of the recently completed BIA access road.

Gov. Joey Salceda is pushing Legazpi and the neighboring town of Daraga to become Metro Albay, a grand project that will make the metropolis a corridor of massive development in the region even before the completion of Daraga International Airport in 2013. “The Metro Albay, which is the twin cities of Legazpi and Daraga, will be the new urban center and economic capital of Bicol in the countryside,” Salceda declared. “This is the biggest project in the Bicol region which will be set up here, wherein Albay is expected to be the booming borough under the Aquino administration,” he added.

The Legazpi Domestic Airport is the 13th busiest airport in the Philippines in 2009 according to data on passenger traffic volume released by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). For 2009, Legazpi Airport (IATA: LGP) registered 412,875 passenger traffic up from 282,431 in 2008 or equivalent to 46.2 increase. Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines increased their passenger traffic volume by 44.50% and 30% respectively. The entry of ZestAir also helped boost passenger arrivals.

The Embarcadero is Legazpi’s newest lifestyle hub, commercial and entertainment center offering retail shops, restaurants and cafes, bars, arcade, bowling alleys, promenade, Celebration Plaza and a lighthouse. Although less than half of the entire complex is completed, the Embarcadero has already made its mark in the Legazpi cityscape as a popular destination for both locals and tourists.

Established in 1936, Albay Pilinut Candy is the first pili nut candy factory in the Bicol Region. Today, Albay Pilinut Candy continues to serve high quality confections and candies made from Bicol’s famous pili nut. It remains a family business, giving its products that distinct quality and taste that makes people coming back for more.

Mabuhay from Hotel St. Ellis — Setting a new standard in Legazpi City! Hotel St. Ellis, Legazpi’s newest hotel, is a modern day interpretation of timeless elegance. Located at the heart of Legazpi City along Rizal Street, Hotel St. Ellis is a mere 3 kilometers away from the airport and a 5 minute walk away from Embarcadero, business establishments, malls, places of worship and the pier.

Legazpi continues to adapt ways to help mitigate the negative impact of climate change and global warming caused by pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. New electric-powered, non-polluting jeepneys now provide eco-friendly transportation in the city of Legazpi.