THE local government unit of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur noted a 4.6 percent increase in the tourist arrival despite rules on limiting the number of hikers in Mt. Apo, its main tourist attraction.
In a press conference Wednesday, February 5, Sta. Cruz tourism officer Julius Paner said tourist arrivals in 2019 reached 113,000 compared to the 108,000 tourist arrivals in 2018.
He added his office is targeting to achieve at least an increase of five percent for 2020.
He said Mt. Apo trail in Sta. Cruz was able to accommodate 1,600 climbers when they opened the trail for five months in 2019.
“Kita sa Sta. Cruz ang most visited trail. Last year, nag-close ang North Cotabato trails because of earthquakes. Dako kaayo ang damage and landslides. Kaluoy sa Dios ang Sta Cruz trail lang medyo dili kaayo dako ang damage (The trail to Mt. Apo in Sta. Cruz is the most visited. Last year, the trail in North Cotabato was closed due to earthquakes which caused huge damage. The impact of the earthquake on us is minimal),” he said.
He said the trail has been well visited on weekends since the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) has allowed only 50 persons per day.
“Very stringent ang policies but despite that, Mt. Apo is Mt. Apo. It is the highest peak. It is a bucket list for all the mountaineers so daghan gihapon ang nagasaka (Despite the stringent policies, Mt. Apo is still considered the bucket list for all mountaineers so there are still a lot of climbers),” he said.
But Paner said based on his assessment, the trail can still accommodate as much as 100 persons per day.
“For three years, we have been practicing these 50 persons per day. Para sa akoa kulang gyud siya. Bisan pa muabot og 100 per day, manageable namo. We have a community nga ready kaayo (For me, 50 persons is too few. We can manage 100 persons. Our community is ready),” he said.
At the sidelines of the press conference, he clarified the 50 people excluding the porters and tour guides.
Currently, Mt. Apo trail in the area benefits around 110 families, which includes the porters and 70 tour guides.
However, he stressed the impact of tourism in the environment should also be considered.
“Of course, there are things like tourism that ‘the more, the merrier’ because then daghan og porters nga ma-employ, but we also have to consider the impact of Mt. Apo trail to the environment in general,” he said.
“But as long as wala pay amendments sa ilang policies, we will stick to that,” he added.
Paner said the strict rules only apply to tourism destinations considered as conservation and protection areas.
“Mt Apo is our banner site although we also have a lot of alternative destinations also in the lowlands, we have cultural villages, beach destinations, and islets,” he said.