MISAMIS Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano yesterday said the province is expected to be one of the major tourist destinations in the country after it hosted the 19th national convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).
The three-day activity started on Wednesday where Emano hosted the dinner for around a thousand tourism officers and other guests at a hotel, here.
"We have in the country, Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Surigao, Legaspi, among others. We are already recognized that we will be able to deliver good service, we can create better opportunities and economic activities for our people," Emano said.
The governor recognizes tourism as "dollars industry" that when Misamis Oriental gets even very tiny points in the international market, "our people" will have food on their table, live decent lives and be able to send their children to schools.
Lawyer Jeffrey Saclot, head of the provincial tourism department, has earlier said that the number of local and foreign tourist who visited the various tourist attractions in the province is continuously growing since the Emano administration implements his flagship program on tourism.
He said tourist sites in the province have recorded around 500,000 visiting tourists during the first quarter of this year.
The capitol's top official said he is seeing brighter future for the province in terms of tourism as long as the support of the people, capitol workers and the members of the provincial board remains.