THE Department of Tourism–Cordillera (DOT–CAR) is assisting Baguio City in the formulation of a Tourism Development Plan and spearheaded a stakeholders' consultation at the Baguio Country Club last week.
Attended by representatives from various tourism and business groups, civil society organizations and government line agencies, the participants were first briefed with the Baguio tourism situation by City Tourism Officer Benedicto Alhambra.
Tarlac – Pangasinan – La Union Expressway (TPLEX) president and COO Mark Dumol and Clark International Airport Corporation Operations Manager also shared development opportunities that can be considered in developing Baguio’s tourism development plan.
In partnership with Berkman International Consultancy Inc., DOT presented the program outline and Baguio’s tourism situational analysis and implicational report. A workshop followed to get valuable inputs from the participants that would be basis for the Tourism Development Plan proposal which will be forwarded to the city government which can serve as a working document in finalizing its comprehensive tourism development plan.
DOT-CAR regional director Venus Tan said the activity is pursuant to 2012 Presidential Memorandum aiming to prepare a Comprehensive Development Plan for Baguio City and Boracay, which are among the major destinations in the country.
At the same time, it is aligned with the present “REV – BLOOM”, a tourism rehabilitation program that aims to rev – up, revive, revisit and revitalize potential tourist destinations.
DOT's REV–BLOOM program is already underway in Baguio and Benguet, with Baguio parks and overpasses beautification projects, as well as in La Trinidad, Benguet, where the STOBOSA (sitios Stone Hill, Botiwtiw and Sadjap) giant community artwork is located.
Tan also explained in line with the National Tourism Development Plan, DOT’s programs and policies are geared towards strategic directions and programs that generally aim to improve the country’s competitiveness, especially with the advent of the Asean Economic Community, towards sustainable and inclusive growth for the country and all the Filipino people. DOT’s mandate is to assist every local government unit in developing their local tourism potentials, so aside from Baguio, we are doing this to the rest of the Cordilleras, Tan bared. (Carlito Dar/PIA – CAR)