I would say that the lure to the SBF for tourism is its variety, both in its attractions and its facilities, and the ease to get here. I think that the Subic Bay area is the best Vacation destination in the Philippines. Of course everyone thinks that about their favorite destination, however if you question them on their views they have a very limited scope to support that. I am a firm believer that Subic Bay is the best place in Asia for wreck diving vacation. I am often challenged on that as many think Coron is the best wreck diving in the Philippines. I will concede that Coron has some nice wrecks and that the visibility at Subic Bay is not great. However divers are less impacted by weather in Subic bay than Coron having an average of 330 divable days a year compared to corons estimated 180, the wrecks at Coron are a distance apart,so a typical divers day will be get up early you transfer to a dive boat,ride for a hour and half or so to the first dive location have a dive, boat then travels for another hour or so to the second location having a box lunch en route, have the second dive then three or more hours boat ride back to starting point. The non diving travel companion has either been waiting on the boat bored or at the resort where there is little to do. Night life none, places to eat, limited. Compare that to a typical Subic Bay divers day. If the diver wants 4 wrecks in a day he arrives at the dive shop around 8am checks gear and ready to depart by 9. 15 minutes later he is in the water at his first wreck. After the dive the boat moves to the second location any where from 400 meters away to a 15 minute ride. The diver waits out his minimum surface time and makes his second dive. After the dive it just 15 minutes back to the dive center where they can meet the non diving companion for lunch. After lunch while the non-diver goes shopping the diver goes out for another couple of dives. There are over a dozen different wrecks in Subic bay many too large to see in one dive and all within 15 minutes of the dive shops. There are also a number of reefs to dive. In the evening they can choose from maybe 100 restaurants before going to a casino or listening to a band. So which of the two is a better dive vacation? You can draw a similar comparison in any number of different situations. Subic Bay has the water, the jungles, a variety of attractions including 4 theme parks, nightlife and cultural activities. There are many great locations to visit in the Philippines but many are limited in the scope of what they can provide. The Subic Bay area is not like that, there is something for everyone. If you want to go hiking in the jungle in the morning, take a seaplane ride so see where you were, add a few hours of beach time before a romantic dinner, than Subic Bay can meet your needs. Subic Bay also has versatility in where to stay. Five star service and lodging at Lighthouse Marina if that your style, still upscale you have the White Rock Beach resort at the north end of the bay with thier own private beach, pools, even a wave pool and a bowling alley. There are a number of mid price range hotels and even internationall standard beach resorts like Arizona resort and PlayaPapagayo in the budget range.. This type of variety also makes the area great for Conventions.