Mayor declares tourism week observance

MAYOR Celso Lobregat has issued an executive order declaring the period September 21-27 as Tourism Week in Zamboanga City.

The tourism week aims to foster awareness among the people about the importance of tourism encompassing its social, cultural, political and economic value.

Executive Order No. CL 469-2012 likewise directs the implementation of various activities in celebration of the Tourism Week in Zamboanga City.

The celebration will lead up to September 27, designated as International Tourism Day, which will be observed around the globe based on the call of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

The celebration will be themed “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development.”

In line with this, the City Tourism and Investment Division under the Office of the Mayor had lined up various activities in observance of Tourism Week in Zamboanga.

These include Libre Paseo, a free tour of this city’s attractions located at the city proper area from September 21-23; Zamboanga Food Festival at the Plaza del Pilar from September 21-22 at 5 p.m.; Ayuda Limpiesa Año 9 (Year 9) at the main market on September 22 at 8 a.m.; and the drum and lyre competition for elementary level and the culminating program at the Paseo del Mar on September 27 at 4 p.m.

Lobregat has enjoined all sectors and interested individuals to participate in the events.

Lobregat said they can contact the City Tourism Office at the Paseo del Mar at telephone numbers 992-3007 for more details.

Meanwhile, the tourism industry in Zamboanga has boomed and surged ahead over the last nine years, as cited in a study of the city’s Business Risk Assessment and Management of Climate Impacts conducted recently by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines and the Bank of Philippine Islands.

Based on the study, tourist arrivals increased by more than 200 percent during the last 10 years, as the number of hotels increased by 250 percent and number of hotel rooms grew by 76 percent. (Bong Garcia)