EL NIDO, PALAWAN — Ayala Land is adding new investments into its Lio Estate in El Nido, Palawan, as it strengthens the 320-hectare mixed-use development’s ability to capture growing demand for long-stay visits, lifestyle-oriented stays, second homes, and experience-driven living in island destinations.
The latest investments focus on infrastructure and community enhancements designed to improve connectivity, strengthen internal circulation, and support a broader mix of users across the estate, including visitors, hospitality partners, residents, entrepreneurs, and creative enterprises.
Planned developments include a Transport Terminal and Events Pavilion to improve mobility and enable year-round programming, a Visitor’s Center that centralizes the estate’s sustainability and development narrative, a 3.7-kilometer waterfront boardwalk connecting key nodes across Lio, an expanded network of pedestrian pathways linking Lio Airport directly to the estate’s commercial, hospitality, and beachfront destinations, and the repositioning of the Lio Jetty as a leisure and community destination with enhanced access and panoramic views of El Nido Bay.
“The next phase of Lio is about strengthening how the estate functions as a connected, lived-in destination,” said Cris Zuluaga, Group Head of Ayala Land Leisure Estates. “These investments reinforce the relationship between nature, community, and enterprise within a single integrated framework.”
The continued investment reflects broader shifts in demand patterns across global leisure and lifestyle markets, where destinations increasingly serve multiple overlapping use cases—from short visits to extended stays, and from hospitality-led experiences to longer-term engagement and participation in local enterprise.
Lio Estate was designed as an integrated estate from the outset. More than half of the development is allocated to open spaces and ecological systems, including mangroves, wetlands, forests, and biodiversity corridors that support environmental resilience while shaping the estate’s identity and long-term value.
Over time, Lio has attracted a growing community of residents, entrepreneurs, hospitality operators, and creatives who contribute to a diverse ecosystem of place-based activity and enterprise.
“Lio attracts people who want to engage more deeply with the places they are part of—whether through business, creativity, or community life,” said Paloma Urquijo Zobel de Ayala, Creative Director of Ayala Land and owner of Kalye Artisano and Bahay Artisano, two spaces that showcase local craftsmanship, culture, and creative entrepreneurship within Lio. “That connection between nature, culture, and everyday life continues to shape its evolution.”
At the center of the next phase is Sitio Aplaya, a 16.3-hectare mixed-use district designed to deepen residential, retail, hospitality, and lifestyle offerings within a walkable, integrated environment.
Strategically located near Lio Beach and the estate’s commercial and cultural core, Sitio Aplaya is positioned as a new node for long-term participation in El Nido’s growth—offering opportunities for living, enterprise, and investment within a nature-integrated setting.
As El Nido continues to evolve as one of the Philippines’ most distinctive island destinations, Lio reflects a broader strategy of sustained capital investment in integrated estates that combine tourism, lifestyle, and community-building within a single long-term development platform.
The result is a destination designed to support multiple forms of engagement over time—while preserving the ecological systems that underpin its long-term value.
