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Thursday, December 23, 2004
DOT to promote tours to Camotes, local sites
LOCAL tourism stakeholders have expressed optimism about prospects for the next year, citing developments on the local front.
During the Kapihan sa Turismo last Thursday, Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Patria Aurora Roa announced that it was launching that afternoon two packages for Camotes Island, which is located at the northern tip of Cebu province.
“We will present the packages to the governor (Gwen Garcia) for her approval and funding (of the brochures),” Roa said.
The Cebu Association of Tour Guides’ Teresa Ang confirmed that members of the association had gone to Camotes Island and concluded that it “has a lot of potential” as a tourism destination.
Roa said she had spoken with Oceanjet marketing manager Erwin Biaño who, she said, had committed to resume the Cebu City-Camotes service of the fast-ferry firm early next year.
Interviewed by Sun.Star, Biaño confirmed that Oceanjet is committed to serving Camotes.
However, he said the target date for the resumption of the ferry service to that island is sometime in February yet because Oceanjet is still doing some work on the vessel it bought from Bullet Express, which could be used to ply the Cebu-Poro route.
“We are going to re-engine it,” he said. “We are still looking for spare parts.”
Bullet Express used to operate its own fast ferry service, but the company stopped operating after competition heated up in the fast-ferry sector, with the Asian financial crisis complicating matters.
Biaño said that during talks on the tour packages for Camotes, Oceanjet proposed a day tour because the fast ferry could take passengers to Camotes in just one and a half hours. But he said Poro Mayor Edgar Rama was leaning more toward tours that would have the tourists spend the night on the island.
The Oceanjet official said there are small boats that currently go to Camotes, but most of them depart from Danao, and not Cebu City.
He said there is a conventional boat that does leave from Cebu City, but it is slow and takes about five hours to reach Poro.
Roa said the DOT 7 was also looking at increasing the tourism numbers in Malapascua and Moalboal in Cebu.
“That’s in the pipeline,” she said. “Four of the top 10 dive sites in the Philippines are in our region—Malapascua, Moalboal, Balicasag and Apo Island.”
Central Visayas comprises Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Balicasag is in Bohol, while Apo Island is off Negros island.
The tourist attractions in southern Cebu will also get a boost, Roa said.
“We will have rest areas in Carcar and Catmon, so when they (tourists) go to the south, there will be nice toilet facilities, and not only in gas stations,” she said.
The rest area will comprise not just toilets but souvenir shops as well. (CTL)
(December 23, 2004 issue)
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