Monday, March 03, 2008 Tourism exec seeks set-up of more accommodation facilities By Jane Cadalig
TOURISM Regional Director Purificacion Molintas advised local government units (LGUs) in Benguet to put more focus on putting up accommodation facilities in their areas.
This, she said, will help in the tourism industry of the province.
Molintas said the lack of accommodation facilities in the province is among the reasons tourists do not stay long when they visit the tourism spots here.
"Tourists are forced to go to Baguio and spend their nights there because of lack of facilities to accommodate them in the areas they are visiting in Benguet," she said.
The tourism official gave the advice as the province's tourism spots gain more recognition from national and international visitors.
Benguet Provincial Tourism Officer Claire Prudencio earlier said the lack of accommodation areas in the province is one of the limitations the office could not record the actual number of tourists visiting the locality.
She said visitors who do not spend their night in the tourism destinations are not recorded in their tourist arrival record.
According to her, they only base recording on the number of visitors who were registered by the Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited establishments.
Those who spend their nights in campsites and pass by to view the scenic areas like the La Trinidad Strawberry Fields and the vegetable gardens along Halsema Highway are not recorded unless they spend their nights in accredited establishments.
