ILOILO City – The promotion of sustainable tourism and not tourism for purely material gains is the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) priority.
Western Visayas is surrounded by beautiful beaches and rich cultural heritage. The DOT aims to sustain and protect these tourism treasures.
A variety of programs have been implemented by the DOT-6 alone or in partnership with other government agencies to ensure that tourism spots in Western Visayas are preserved.
DOT Region 6 regional director Atty. Helen Catalbas said that the DOT has inked a Memorandum of Agreement, the Biodiversity Partnerships Project (BPP), with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to make sure that the ecotourism spots and threatened species living in those areas are well protected.
This year, the DOT in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) implemented the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) amounting to P30.9 billion. The TRIP aims to boost tourism in the country through easy access road to tourist destinations.
“The DOT believes that in order to make tourism more sustainable, we have to protect the environment. We cannot promote tourism if our tourism sites are not well-protected”, Catalbas said.
Catalbas cited as example the world renowned Boracay Island that is under temporary closure for six months to improve the quality of its beaches and to address its environmental issues to guarantee the continued presence of tourism in the area.
“The Department of Tourism Region 6 does not want to happen to other tourist destinations the situation now in Boracay. We are trying our best to protect the tourism industry especially in Western Visayas. We are really working hard, so that it will not come to the point that we should close the tourist destination, just like what happened to Boracay”, director Catalbas said.
To improve the tourism industry in Western Visayas, DOT Region 6 conducts several trainings to the tourism stakeholders. For this year, the department already conducted Tourism Innovation and Self Re-invention Techniques seminar in Iloilo City and province, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and Mainland Aklan.
Regular training programs of DOT Region 6 include tourism awareness, Farm Tourism Regional Consultative Workshop, tour guiding, homestay seminar and continuing education for tour guides-interpretation of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
DOT Region 6 also had a Community Eco-Guiding Training for the Gigantes Group of Islands in Carles, Iloilo that started on July 16 and ended on July.
From July 22 to 28, there will be a Reef Ranger Snorkeling Guide Training in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
For the swimming skills, water safety and emergency response skills, the Department of Tourism Region 6 will hold an Eco-Guiding Training on August 6-12 in Sagay, Negros Occidental, and in Malalison Island, Culasi Antique on Sept. 3 to 9.
The DOT Region 6 is positive that through its trainings and programs, tourism stakeholders will efficiently do their responsibilities and help promote and sustain the tourism industry in Western Visayas./PN
