THE Department of Tourism (DOT) in Eastern Visayas led the launching of Philippine Motorcycle Tourism (PMT) in the region at the MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park in Palo, Leyte Saturday, June 18, 2022.
“To help curb down the incidence of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, while at the same time promote tourism restart, the DOT also encouraged local and domestic tourists to travel in ‘safe bubbles,’" said Karen Tiopes, tourism regional director.
“It was also noted that many started to go on long motorcycle rides to visit tourism sites, try out the local food scene, search for locally crafted products, and experience visitor activities in places within reach through road trips,” she added.
Together with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and the Federation of Eastern Visayas Motorcyclist Association (Fevma), DOT spearheaded the event as part of the “Infinite Road Trips in Eastern Visayas.”
Motorcycle enthusiasts from the Fevma joined the ride that will take them to World War II engagement sites in Leyte.
The route includes stops in Tacloban City (Archdiocesan Sto. Nino Church, Tacloban City Hall, World War II Japanese Shrine, and Leyte Provincial Capitol) and the towns of Dagami (Japanese Marker, Old Dagami Cemetery, and Bloody Ridge Tunnel), Burauen (Japanese Marker, Madonna Statue, and Justice Romualdez Monument), Dulag (Capt. Isao Yamazoe Shrine, Dulag Church Ruins, Liberation Park, and Catmon Hill), Tolosa (Scout Abello Marker), and Palo (Palo Metropolitan Cathedral, Palo Municipal Hall Grounds, and MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park).
Earlier, a road safety advocacy webinar for the participants with resource speakers from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Fevma.
Tiopes maintained that the motorcycle road trips would help “stimulate the return of travel to tourism sites and invigorate local and domestic tourism, as well as to advocate road safety.”
“The program taps motor riders as domestic ambassadors to promote Eastern Visayas as a region of fun and infinite experiences,” she said.