THE tourism industry in Eastern Visayas is on the right track courtesy of the “right leaders and movers” in the local government units (LGUs), said regional tourism director Karen Tiopes.
“It also means that we have industry partners from the private sector, peoples organizations, line agencies and non-government organizations who are more than willing to partner with our LGUs to present amazing events and converge to implement relevant programs,” said Tiopes as she recalled how five LGUs in the region have won this year’s recently-concluded Pearl Awards for Best Tourism Practices from Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (Atop) and the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The tourism official lauded the LGUs that have already pushed for more tourism events and programs that are “innovative, sustainable and above par.”
Butz Eguia, the secretary of the Eastern Visayas Tourism Association (EVTA), said that “alliance and concerted efforts have been the driving force of why several destinations in Eastern Visayas won in the recent Atop Pearl Awards.”
“It has been for several times that DOT 8 honcho Karen Tiopes and her active Tourism Development Areas have been rallying for the private stakeholders, the LGUs and the people's organization to unite for a common cause in improving the lifestyle of everyone through responsible and sustainable tourism. The awards are testament to those efforts,” added Eguia.
According to him, with the formation of the allied tourism organizations around Eastern Visayas under the unified approach of the recently established EVTA, they expect more tourism champions in the region.
“Winning will just by then be an ordinary lifestyle,” he told Sunstar Philippines.
Meanwhile, Eguia acknowledged the challenges in promoting sites in the region, saying that “preparing the mindset of the community for a ‘culture of tourism’ is not an easy task.”
“It needs careful handling of all the community members. To be gainfully operative in difference destinations means varied adaptation techniques. No two destinations are the same or could be similar,” said Eguia, who is also the president of Eastern Visayas Association of Tour Guides.
In an interview, Eguia also pointed out that tourism awareness of the community involved is important so that they “will be supportive to the programs on eco-tourism—hygiene and sanitation being primary to a successful operation of destination.”
The five 2018 Atop-DOT Pearl Awardees in the region last October 5 in Cagayan De Oro City are Abre Grande Lawig 2017 of Palompom, Leyte (1st place, Best Tourism Event-Sports); Rurumba Adventure Race of San Jose, Northern Samar (2nd place, Best Tourism Event-Sports); Ulot Torpedo Boat Adventure Ride of Paranas, Samar (1st place, Best Community-based Tourism Enterprise); Villa Conzoilo Farm of Jaro, Leyte (3rd place, Best Community-based Tourism Enterprise); and Province of Samar -Spark Samar (3rd place, Most Tourism Oriented LGU-Provincial Level).
“A Region 8 LGU-contender first went on stage for an ATOP Pearl Award in 2010. That year the Province of Leyte won the Best Tourism Event (Festival) Provincial Level with the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals,” recalled Tiopes.
In 2014, Palompon LGU made its first bid for the Most Tourism Oriented LGU Municipal Level.
“They brought home the 1st place trophy that year and the next, until they were declared a Hall of Fame awardee for that category in 2016,” she added.
“In 2017, Palompon, Leyte and the province of Samar made their first bid for Best Tourism Event (Sports) – Municipal Level and Most Tourism Oriented LGU – Provincial Level, respectively. Palompon got the 1st place and Samar Province tied with Ilocos Norte as both were judged as the 1st runner-up,” Tiopes said.
According to Tiopes, the awards will surely inspire these LGUs and their partners to strive even better, motivate other LGUs with similar remarkable tourism accomplishments to bid in next year’s awards, and stir many other LGUs to raise the bar and go an extra mile for their tourism programs.