MANILA - More companies continue to put up hotels and resorts in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region, with the Department of Tourism (DOT) expecting such projects to increase further by 8% this year.

"There are a lot of properties being built in the Calabarzon region...We see this number to further increase by 8% this year," DOT Regional Director for Calabarzon Louella Jurilla told reporters at business matching session held recently in Manila.

At present, Jurilla said Calabarzon has a total of 200 accredited hotels housing 3,000 rooms, with more projects still underway in the region. For one, she said mall magnate Henry Sy is expanding its 261-room Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay to make it the largest in the area, with a total of 450 rooms.

Real estate giant Robinsons Land Corp., on the other hand, has recently completed its 300-room Summit Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay City, Cavite.

Other properties in the region include the 70-room Club Manila East Manila in Rizal, the 68-room Tagaytay Country Hotel, the Caliraya Recreation Center in Laguna, and the Nurture Spa Village in Tagaytay.

In Batangas, tourists can stay at the 60-room Hotel Pontefino, the 78-room Microtel Inn and Suites, the 86-room Matabungkay Beach Resort, the 80-room Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa, or the 75-room Eagle Point Resort, among many others.

Jurilla said Calabarzon remains the top destination for local tourists, and is slowly attracting foreign visitors as well. "We are number one in domestic visitors," she said.

Some of the region's favorite locations include theme park Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa and the hot spring resorts in Los Banos, both in Laguna. Other top tourist spots include Tagaytay City, golf courses in Cavite, and diving spots in Batangas.