From ancient rock formations and spectacular landscapes to traditional crafts and community-based tourism, Cao Bằng is turning its UNESCO-recognised geological heritage into a source of sustainable livelihoods for local people.

What began with a few pieces of Pilates and physiotherapy equipment inside a home in Fairview, Quezon City, has grown into a multi-branch wellness brand, with ESpace Wellness Club bringing Pilates, yoga, barre, spin and recovery services to BF Homes.  During the height of the pandemic, entrepreneurs Mico Vallejo and Euriz Bagtas-Vallejo started the business from their home, gradually acquiring equipment as they pursued their shared interest in wellness.  For Bagtas-Vallejo, a licensed physical therapist, the venture also provided an opportunity to apply her knowledge of movement, rehabilitation and physical well-being in a more accessible setting.  What started at home has since grown into ESpace, which now has multiple branches across Metro Manila. Its latest location in BF Homes, Parañaque, is a two-floor wellness club that brings several fitness and recovery disciplines under one roof.   The club has dedicated studios and facilities for Pilates, yoga, barre and spin, along with recovery amenities including a cold plunge and sauna.  “I’ve always believed that taking care of your body shouldn’t only happen when something is already wrong. Movement, recovery and prevention can be part of everyday life,” Bagtas-Vallejo said.   For the founders, the growth of ESpace has been less about building another fitness studio and more about creating a wellness space that people can incorporate into their daily routines.  “We started with what we had at home and simply kept building from there. The equipment came little by little, and eventually the idea became much bigger than what we initially imagined,” Vallejo said.     Bringing ESpace to the South  The BF Homes opening marks ESpace's expansion into southern Metro Manila, where the founders said they saw an opportunity to bring its combination of fitness and recovery services closer to residents.  The founders said expanding to Parañaque was not simply about adding another location but about introducing the ESpace concept to a new community while maintaining their focus on accessibility and convenience.  “We wanted to bring ESpace to the South because we saw an opportunity to make the kind of wellness experience we’ve built over the years more accessible to people in this community,” Bagtas-Vallejo said. “Wellness should be something you can easily make part of your life, not something you have to go out of your way to find.”     ESpace opens 11th branch in Pasay  The expansion continued on Sept. 26 with the official opening of ESpace Wellness Hub in Pasay City, the brand's 11th branch and a larger location compared with the BF Homes club.  The Pasay branch continues to offer Pilates, yoga, barre, spin and recovery services while adding an in-house cafe where members and their companions can have drinks and spend time before or after their sessions.   The addition reflects the founders' broader view of wellness as extending beyond exercise to include movement, recovery and community.  For the Vallejo couple, reaching 11 branches remains connected to the same idea that began in their Fairview home: creating spaces where people can move better, feel better and enjoy taking care of themselves.  “When we look back at where we started, it’s incredible to see how far ESpace has come. But the vision is still very similar to what we had in that home in Fairview: We want to create spaces where people can move better, feel better and enjoy taking care of themselves,” Vallejo said.   From a few pieces of equipment in a pandemic-era home to 11 branches across Metro Manila, ESpace continues to expand its wellness concept while keeping its origins in mind.

“Forgotten Island” recorded a whopping P97 million in box-office receipts during its opening weekend in the Philippines.

Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin are officially parents!

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for a third of all deaths. The tragedy? It is largely preventable. On World Heart Day on September 29, which continues its “Don’t Miss a Beat” theme, three prominent cardiologists share their hopes and fears for the future of heart health, the technologies that excite them, the simple daily choices that could save your life, and essential habits they practise to safeguard their own. 1. An early diagnosis advocate Among the...

Toshiba Lifestyle Philippines took its idea of home living beyond the kitchen and living room with “The Takumi Experience,” a two-day gathering for winners of a nationwide promotion and invited guests. The appliance brand brought together dining, music and a resort stay to explore the idea behind takumi, a Japanese term associated with skilled artisans. Rather than center the event on particular products, Toshiba drew a connection between the care that goes into an artisan’s work and the details homeowners consider when choosing appliances for their spaces. The guests included winners from different regions who qualified through a promotion held from July 1 to Aug. 15. Every single-receipt purchase of Toshiba appliances during that period earned a chance to join the experience. The event also welcomed invited figures from the lifestyle field, with activities held across two consecutive days. At Helm, guests met chef Josh Boutwood and experienced a menu prepared under his direction. The program then moved from the dining table to the concert hall for “Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi in Concert,” with Gerard Salonga conducting the live orchestral performance. The promotion winners also had a stay at Solaire Resort as part of their visit. For the brand, the choice of guests and activities reflected the broader place appliances occupy in the home. A refrigerator, for example, has a practical role in keeping ingredients fresh, while the look and placement of an appliance can affect how a kitchen or living area feels. The company used the gathering to express that approach through the work of Boutwood and Salonga, both of whom it introduced as its Takumi Masters. “True luxury lies in the details,” said Anna Marie Alejandro, general manager of Toshiba Lifestyle Philippines. She pointed to food preservation and design as two considerations in developing appliances for the home. The event offered the brand’s promotion winners a chance to meet the two artists and spend time together outside their usual surroundings. It also gave the brand an occasion to present its view of craftsmanship through experiences its guests could see, hear and share, from a meal prepared by Boutwood to an orchestra led by Salonga.

Việt Nam welcomed 15.9 million international visitors and served 113 million domestic tourists in the first eight months of 2026, up 14.5 per cent and 6.6 per cent year-on-year, respectively. Tourism revenue during the period reached VNĐ781 trillion (US$29.7 billion), up 10.4 per cent.

Bùi Thanh Tú, Marketing Director of Bestprice Travel, said treating data as an asset and applying AI to specific business needs have produced concrete results in the company’s travel operations.

Đà Nẵng welcomed more than 411,000 visitors from Russia and other CIS countries in the first eight months of 2026, up 94.2 per cent year-on-year and accounting for about 5.8 per cent  of total international arrivals.