Seminars eyed for boatmen, vendors in Cebu's whale shark site

Saturday, February 18, 2012

CAUGHT up in the buzz and the excitement created by whale shark interaction in Cebu's southern town of Oslob, the government said it will help in the development of this latest attraction into a “sustainable tourism product.”

“This opportunity to bring economic benefits to the community of Oslob has to be carefully planned and managed so that it continues as a sustainable activity. We are offering our assistance to augment the local government unit’s initial interventions towards sustainability,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said.

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With this, Jimenez instructed Tourism Undersecretary Maria Victoria Jasmin and Central Visayas Director Rowena Montecillo to work on ways to develop the budding eco-tourism enterprise beginning next month.

These include training for boatmen particularly on safety and security and values formation, an awareness program to educate the community on responsible, ethical, and sustainable tourism, and food safety seminars especially for small vendors.

Considering the lack of accommodation establishments, the department will also embark on the training of qualified households on the operation of home-stay services.

The DOT is also recommending the conduct of a study that will look into Oslob’s marine ecosystem and the behavior of the whale sharks, locally known as “tuki” or “butanding”, to determine their seasonality and sustainability of their food supply.

Moreover, local officials will be invited to an observation visit to the popular whale-shark viewing destination in Donsol, Sorsogon to learn about best practices in handling whale shark interaction and community organization.

“We target the training programs to be conducted in March, starting with the boatmen. Our other courses of action will ensue once the study points to the sustainability of this product. There is so much to be done to improve the tourism experience. However, other activities need to be developed so that the visitors have more reasons to be in Oslob,” Jimenez said.

Earlier, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia formed a technical working group that includes the DOT to ensure that economic benefits will be reaped by Oslob residents.

Last month, the town passed an ordinance stating that fees from visitors be divided into 60 percent to participating fishermen, 30 percent to the Municipal Government and 10 percent for the village of Tan-awan, where the world's largest fish frequent its waters.

Tourists, both local and foreign, have been visiting Oslob since August last year to see the whale sharks, which are now classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “vulnerable” under its Red List of Threatened Species. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)