Guimaras, home of the sweetest mango in the Philippines, is poised to bring out more of its best tourism potential.
The province’s goal is anchored on this year’s Manggahan Festival tagline, “Mangoes and More,” emphasizing that the island province is more than just mangoes, its flagship commodity.
“We want to emphasize our other products and other attractions that we can offer. That is what we are doing right now,” said Gov. JC Rahman Nava.
Guimaras Provincial Tourism Officer Liberty Ferrer said the province is also gearing towards strengthening its agri-fishery ecotourism potential.
She touted that, aside from being blessed with beautiful beaches that attract many tourists, the province is also rich with farms and ecotourism sites. It can offer farm tourism activities, water sports activities, and island-hopping activities.
“We also have lots of unexplored tourism activities. Upod ni sya sa direction ni Gov. JC Rahman Nava sa pag-improve and pag-identify sang aton additional tourism circuit for the province of Guimaras. Sa aton destinations, ang product portfolio of the province includes beaches, culture and heritage, and natural ecotourism sites,” said Ferrer.
In September last year, the province held its first-ever Dragon Fruit Festival. Aside from mangoes, the province is also abundant with this tropical fruit as an economic stimulant, with currently around 17 hectares cultivated by 36 dragon fruit growers and over 12,000 kilos in annual production.
Ferer added that the province has facilities that can cater to meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, but only for a smaller number of participants for now.
Nevertheless, Ferrer noted that the province’s stakeholders continue to invest in bigger accommodation facilities.
Nava, on the other hand, added that Guimaras is also known as a bike haven, as many bike enthusiasts visit the province to experience its trails.
The province has become a venue for some biking events, and in fact, it once hosted a national triathlon a few years ago.
“We will be capitalizing on not only our products but the ambiance of the province itself. We will push for more outdoor sports in the near future, aside from water sports,” the governor said./PN
