Monday, April 14, 2008 Editorial:Reining in adventure
DUE to the commercial possibilities of massbased tourism, there is a drive to promote Cebu as the ideal ecotourism destination.
So far, efforts of government and entrepreneurs have focused on marketing and promotions: packaging tours and festivals, supporting local craftsmen, and generally promoting domestic tourism as a patriotic alternative through media campaigns.
These are laudable for promoting cultural awareness as well as the economic targets of supporting cottage industries, promoting entrepreneurship and attracting investments.
But the recent deaths and injury of tourists at Kawasan Falls in southeastern Cebu highlight, too, the need to act on a concern central in ecotourism: tourist health and safety.
Risk-taking in adventure tourism
Last March 21, Good Friday and a holiday when tourist traffic peaks, diving accidents caused the deaths of a Korean national and a local tourist, as well as the injury of another Korean in the popular southeastern Cebu destination.
According to the Badian police, the last accidental drowning was recorded last 2002. Local authorities revealed that some tourists disregard safety rules prohibiting diving from the top of the waterfalls and requiring the wearing of life vests.
Ryu Ho Jun, whose dive killed another Korean and injured his companion, reportedly disregarded warnings not to jump. A day before, Holy Thursday, Nelson Tiro of Liloan town had consumed liquor when he made his second dive from the top of the waterfalls; his body was found later in the waters.
According to “Managing Tourist Health and Safety in the New Millenium” by Jeff Wilks and Stephen Page, a certain type of tourists deliberately courts risks and uncertainty. Adventure tourism—often set in the wilds or “uncivilized” areas—holds out this main attraction: “a state of exhilaration, an adrenalin rush, or a state of well-being” from undertaking a range of activities not possible in the tourist’s home milieu, for instance, cycle tour, caving or spelunking, horse riding, guided walking, mountain recreation, whitewater rafting, diving, marine encounter, wind surfing, skydiving/parasailing, ballooning and ecotours.
Countering hedonism
Although adventure tourists are “psychologically given a potential predisposition toward the hedonistic or loss of normal responsibility,” Wilks and Page recommend implementing preventive procedures.
Since the most common type of accidents involve falls, slips and spills, intervention measures should involve the wearing of appropriate wear and protective gear, as well as the avoidance of hazardous terrain or areas.
For instance, the municipal government of Alegria opened to the public last December only two of the town’s 58 caves.
Silay and Kantayong caves in Barangay Valencia were declared safe for exploration by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Wilks and Page list these common accident risk factors: difficulties with the local language, tourists’ failure to follow instructions, client overconfidence, exaggerated ability, and showing off.
Other constraints must also be addressed by the authorities, tour operators, and even local residents: lack of trained and experienced staff like guides and boatmen, absence or lack of experience in following emergency procedures, including drills, absence or lack of standard equipment, poor enforcement of safety guidelines, and commercialization of adventure tours.
Regular training is crucial for enabling key staff (guides, raft operators, lifeguards) to identify high-risk travelers, enforce prohibitions to high-risk destinations or behavior, and deal with travel-related health and safety emergencies.
For instance, prior to the public opening of the Silay and Kantayong caves, Alegria Mayor Raul Guisadio made possible the training of 25 local residents as cave guides. Visitors interested in spelunking are required to coordinate with and engage the local guides.
For Cebu to be the travel destination, local governments, the private sector and other stakeholders must be partners in continuing training, enforcement and other interventions to add value in this crucial feature of customer service: the tourists’ safety.
