Angeles City - A Tourist Background History

Located as it is in the landlocked province of Pampanga in the Philippines, tourism to Angeles City once simply matched the growth of Clark Air Base as it slowly developed into the largest USAF installation outside the continental US – not bad considering its origins as a fort for a cavalry regiment or two back in 1910.

At its peak, Clark housed around 30,000 service personnel and their families. It was essentially an American town grafted onto Philippine soil – but a town that boasted the sleekest, deadliest strike aircraft that US technology could provide.

After Mt Pinatubo's spectacular eruption, what was left of US Clark Air Base could not have supported the cavalry horses that had grazed there less than a century earlier, never mind modern day high-tech military aircraft. From a technological perspective, Clark Air Base went from ‘Star Trek’ to ‘The Flintstones’ in a matter of days.

A tourist holdover from Clark as a USAF Base is the legacy of girly bars and clubs which continue to lure tourists to Angeles City, much like a bee drawn to a particularly sweet honey. It is interesting that while the décor, sound quality and variety of clubs and bars in Angeles City is now far more lavish - with an emphasis on comfort and style - customer-service training has not matched these structural improvements. Friendly, efficient service within some bars can sometimes be as frustratingly elusive as ever.

Having said that, the number of tourists has increased quite significantly over the 19-years since Pinatubo, and the hotels, restaurants, shopping, transport, banking and various sporting, entertainment and recreation facilities have grown in both number and quality to cater for this influx. Part of our objective at Angeles Xtra is to keep you informed of developments in these and other areas.

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