Eastern Visayas forges tourism alliance

AT LEAST 62 personalities from different tourism ventures in Eastern Visayas have forged a partnership to promote the region’s tourism potential.

Known as Eastern Visayas Tourism Association (EVTA), the group aims to strengthen the working relationships of allied tourism services in the region from tour guiding, souvenirs, events, conventions, and training sectors.

“It is indeed very fortuitous that the stakeholders of Eastern Visayas tourism have finally been serious about unifying forces,” said artist-tour guide Butz Eguia of Eastern Visayas Association of Tour Guides (EVATG) who also acted as secretary to the group.

Its pioneer set of officers are Pocholo Aragones Franco (Francon Viaje), president; Ludette Virtucio Ruiz (Leyte Gulf Travel and Tours), vice-president; Amparo Tan (Bayview Inn Ormoc), treasurer; Leigh Castillo Lobrigo (Save the Date Events Production), auditor; and Rhoel Ladera (Havens Transport), PIO.

The group also include the following board of directors: Lemuel Honor (East Visayan Transport), Anito Lanticse (The Oriental Leyte), Jonathan Montejo (M Grand Royale Resort), Amy Beato (Rawis Resort), Jonas Montejo (Bon Appetit Catbalogan), Jeffrey Espinaso (Canaan Hills BeeCee Farm), and Denny Uy (Samar Pasalubong Center).

“By forming an association, our private sector stakeholders, tourism involved peoples organizations, and cooperatives get to know each other, can easily form partnerships and alliances, can discuss and together find solutions to their concerns, will have a voice and can make representations to concerned entities,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Eastern Visayas Director Karen Tiopes.

“As their main partner in the development of tourism in Eastern Visayas, the DOT is very happy that we were able to help our tourism entrepreneurs form this organization,” Tiopes told Sunstar Philippines in an interview.

According to Tiopes, with every opportunity that opens in the region, the tourism enterprises are also faced with several challenges.

“These challenges can be addressed by cooperation and collaboration. This is the main reason why our private sector stakeholders and even our tourism-involved people's organizations, and cooperatives need to bind themselves into one united and empowered association,” she added.

Five years after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) leveled most of the region, Tiopes reported that “Eastern Visayas tourism rose by a compounded growth rate of 100.51 percent.”

“All these were made possible with the determination, hard work, collaboration and convergence of the local government units, the private, business sector, non-government organizations, peoples organizations, academe, media, and government organizations,” she said.

In 2016, tourism arrival in the region reached over 1.22 million, both foreign and domestic, marking an 11.83 percent increase. In 2017, Eastern Visayas welcomed almost 1.46 million visitors, which is 9.38 percent higher than the 2016 figures.

“The region earned P14.73 billion that year from tourism spending,” Tiopes said. (SunStar Philippines)