THE island province of Guimaras, some 15 minutes boat ride across the Iloilo Strait from Iloilo City, takes pride in presenting its new tourist spots and attractions, courtesy of investors who truly believe in the tourism potential of the island.
“Guimaras takes pride in its golden fruit, the sweetest mango in the world, but our island province is surely home of other exciting exotic tourist spots developed and invested by entrepreneurs who believed in the province,” tourism officer Angeles Gabinete said.
A group of Iloilo-based media practitioners are set to discover the secrets of Guimaras on July 4-5 in a media tour of newly developed attractions and natural spots that made Guimaras a truly mysterious area for the adventurers and nature lovers.
Dubbed as the “See, Write and Talk about Guimaras,” the writing assignment will be assisted by the Guimaras Provincial Tourism Office and Governor Samuel Gumarin in bringing to global and national attention what Guimaras has to offer.
First stop of the media tour will be the Guimaras Wonders Farm operated by Rose Gresier. The farm is a newly developed integrated agri-eco tourism destination in the island with young but ready to bear fruit plants and trees.
Second stop will be famous Sapal Weaving Village. The tour participants will get to observe the people of the village make a difference by churning out beautiful and colorful bags and baskets as their way of life.
The third stop will be at the specialty Pitstop Restaurant owned by Eugene Torrento that serves several tempting and mouth watering mango-based dishes.
The media group will have an overnight rest at the Neptune Pittman’s Garden Resort and Spa, which is home of exotic plants and flowers collected by the owner in different parts all over the world.
After breakfast the next day, the media group will go to the Trappist Monastery to see the first all-men monastery in the country and see the monks produce and process fruits and vegetables.
The group will proceed to Camp Alfredo to see the many sports facilities inside the camp, such as the 375-meter-long zipline, high rope obstacle course, including vine walk, micro lo, Burma log, Burma bridge and rappelling.
The group will cap its tour with a lunch at the Raymen Beach Resort, a well-known tourist destination for its blue water, rustic ambiance and panoramic view. They will discuss their observations and outputs. (Lydia C. Pendon)