The Department of Tourism (DOT) challenged Negros Oriental to be ready for the influx of tourists both foreign and local, to Dumaguete City and the province with the opening of two international airports in Cebu and Panglao in Bohol.
DOT Regional Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano said the province should expect a portion of the 20 percent increase in tourist arrivals in Central Visayas.
The six-month closure of Boracay in Aklan will also have a huge impact on the tourist traffic and, it remains as an opportunity for tourists to visit other places in the Philippines like Dumaguete.
Eighty percent of Chinese tourists arriving in the region visited Negros Oriental but, domestic travelers still accounted for the biggest chunk of tourist arrivals in Central Visayas, Tamano shared.
In a recent Strategic Tourism Road Map workshop attended by a hundred tourism stakeholders, Tamano said that while it would be a challenge to accommodate the tourists here, it would also be an opportunity for local destinations. Tourists will be diverted to Central Visayas since Boracay is yet to open until the end of October of this year.
DOT helps promote the province through familiarization tours for online bloggers, travel and tour operators and even traditional media in print and travel magazines. He also reiterated the importance of police visibility to ensure the safety and protection of tourists.
Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo said Task Force Leon Kilat is already in place as a deterrent to kidnapping and terrorist attacks.
“I want tourists visiting our provinces to be protected. If something bad happens to a tourist, our tourism industry will, definitely, collapse,” Degamo said.
The government has lined up 15 projects worth PhP480-million to support the build-up of tourism in Negros Oriental, involving the constructions of 18-kilometer roads, leading to the province’s tourist spots.
With reports from Minerva BC Newman, Manila Bulletin
Photos: backpackingpilipinas.com, vigattintourism.com
