THE Natural Wonders Tourism Foundation Philippines Inc. (NWTF) is launching the “Nationwide Search for the Sustainable Natural Wonders of the Philippines.” The foundation wishes that we will have an inventory of the wonders in our country and take pride in promoting them.
The wonders being referred to should have scientific, educative, touristic and economic values. If you have this in your town or city, probably this could be accessed by foot only. This could be your beautiful mountain, enchanting lake, verdant rice field, endangered animals, unique flora, century old trees in your parks that have combined nature and man-made intervention.
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The United Nation’s Millennium Declaration includes economic development, social development and environmental protection. The responsibility centers on the responsibility to preserve and manage natural and man-made resources for our grandchildren.
Can tourism be sustainable? Sustainable tourism should take full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. We have to maintain essential ecological process and help conserve natural heritage and biodiversity, and at the same time we also provide employment to contribute to poverty alleviation.
We have to explore what is beyond our comfort zone to discover the natural wonders that we are looking for. The Puerto Princesa Underground River before it becomes a new icon in Philippine tourism was just something to be enjoyed by the local folks. It was just an “off the beaten path” for hundreds of thousands of years.
Other examples could be the white beach of Boracay, the lake within the lake of Taal, the numerous beaches and coves of Palawan, the fascinating beaches of El Nido and Coron, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the ecologically significant wetlands of Agusan Marsh, and Donsol – the Whale Shark Capital of the World. To the locals, they were just ordinary gifts but with proper marketing, they become phenomenal tourist attractions.
Wonders of nature need not necessarily be made of white sands, volcanoes and lakes. These are places that can still be classified as natural wonders like the Sirab Peak of the North Negros Forest. Century-old trees were growing here before but in the 80s the area was caught by fire (lightning or bush fire because of extreme dry season). Now the place has become a stretch of dwarf trees.
All of God’s creations are natural wonders – all living and non-living, flora and fauna, land, air, water or aquatic resources. Often we only view those that inspire and arouse awe, astonishment, surprise, and admiration. Sometimes we do not appreciate those that are of value to our ecological balance, those that have scientific educative purpose because they are not known and promoted.
Could this be done? The answer is yes. Before mounting a respectable level of marketing activities, few other natural wonders not known by the world were just there like the Jeju Island in Korea, Halong Bay of Vietnam, and Table Mountain of South Africa. We have to bring to the world our Tinagong Dagat of the North Negros Forest and the Tinagong Dagat of Sipalay.
We challenge our government units with natural wonders. Bring them before the world. That could be a ticket to building up awareness and in the process that could generate enough interest for tourists who want to visit the place. That could be the beginning of something great.
In Negros, let us identify our leisure farms that offer visitors real experience, warm hospitality, cultural interaction and local delicacies. In small scale, we have tried it at Hacienda Adela Folklore Village in Silay and we are getting good feedbacks. Can we try this also in the palay farms, coconut villages, fishing communities or in the settlements of our indigenous people?
Natural wonders are gifts of God but we also need wonderful Negrosanons who can trigger what is wonderful in our culture and environment. We need to encourage investors and developers who do not just look after profit. They have also to consider our heritage.