Long favored as a weekend escape south of Metro Manila, Batangas duly deserves the honor of a top tourist destination. It is home to the largest Roman Catholic church in Asia, the Minor Basilica of St. Martin of Tours.
Batangas is often visited for its beaches, diving spots, and summer resorts that range from luxurious to sand-and-sea. There is Anilao in Mabini, Sombrero Island in Tingloy, Matabungkay in Lian, and the popular Nasugbu, Laiya, and Calatagan. The proximity of Batangas to Metro Manila have made the province not only an ideal place to visit, but the perfect place to live in for many.
Batangas is a boomtown and enjoys great economic progress. It is home to five industrial parks with more in the offing. Among them is LIMA Technology Center designed largely for tech companies, First Philippine Industrial Park, and Light Industry and Science Park IV.
Beyond technology, Batangas has also seen exponential growth in many of its export products like sugar, coffee, pineapples, and bamboo. Its proximity to Metro Manila and the ease of travel to and within the province have made Batangas not only an ideal place to visit, but the perfect place to live in for many. Two cities are particularly interesting— Lipa and Santo Tomas.
Lipa is fast becoming the provincial institutional and administrative center, as well as its key commercial, financial, medical, and residential hub. Santo Tomas, on the other hand, is contiguous to Lipa and is recognized as The Gateway to the South. I.