Palawan takes French TV audience’s breath away

By Alex Vergara
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Of all the exotic locales Denis Brogniart and his collaborators have shot in, the host of the top-rated French reality TV show “Koh Lanta,” a Survivor-like hit show, cited Palawan and New Caledonia as “two of the best.”

Brogniart went on to heap praises on Palawan, particularly El Nido resort, where he stayed, as the most beautiful location they’ve come across in seven years.

“It’s incredible to see a place like this where you can be totally lost,” he said. “It has everything, from lush forest to transparent waters full of fish and corals of various shapes and colors.”

Show producer Thierry Graff was equally awed when and he his team “stumbled” on Palawan while scouring the globe for possible locations.

“It was really spectacular to see those rock formations and magnificent beaches all in one place,” he said. “It’s a dream location that’s isolated yet accessible enough to stage challenges.”

The irony wasn’t lost on Graff when he admitted that Palawan, by far, is more scenic than Koh Lanta, a resort island in southern Thailand, from which the show got its name.

9 million viewers

But the biggest affirmation came from the French people themselves. Close to nine million viewers reportedly watched the Palawan series during its entire 11-week run, making it the highest-rating “Koh Lanta” adventure so far.

For sure, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of islands all over the tropics that are as beautiful and as isolated as Palawan. But the latter offers a rare mix of nature and modern-day amenities a crew of 70 people (excluding 16 French contestants) needs in order to effectively do their jobs.

The logistics involved in shooting a show like “Koh Lanta” are staggering, said Brogniart, a fitness buff who had a treadmill shipped all the way from Manila to El Nido. Apart from the show’s French crew, Graff and company had to hire hundreds of locals to provide support.

Brogniart went on to assure French reporters that the Philippines is a safe place to visit except for certain islands like Jolo. Terrorism, he added, can happen anywhere, even in places like Paris and London.

“Not once did I feel unsafe in Palawan except one morning when a big dog followed me while I was jogging on the beach,” Brogniart shared with a hearty chuckle. “I felt the same way wherever I went, whether it was in Boracay or in Manila.”

After endorsing the Philippines in a press conference organized by the Department of Tourism in the recently concluded TopResa travel fair in Deauville, France, the towering Brogniart later graced the Philippine pavilion, where he elicited stares of approval from a curious French public.

Indeed, DOT has another winning endorser in its efforts to further push “Brand Philippines.”

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