THE Cebu Provincial Government will establish four more tourist rest areas (TRAs) to complement the existing four TRAs of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced this through Capitol’s online news portal, Sugbo News, during her meeting with the DOT officials and representatives of other government agencies at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
“As I had promised your Secretary (Christina Garcia Frasco), since this should be as always a collaborative effort, if you would put in this many TRAs, then the province will put in the same equal number,” Garcia told DOT 7 chief of operations Gelena Azis-Dimpas.
Bogo City is the first to receive the TRA, according to the governor, who has yet to name the other three places.
Last year, Garcia and her daughter, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the groundbreaking for the construction of four TRAs. These are in Carmen and Medellin towns in northern Cebu, and Carcar City and Moalboal town in southern Cebu and southwest Cebu.
The TRA has a tourist information center, lounge area, coffee shops, charging station, restroom and pasalubong center that sells local delicacies.
Erwin Rosal, the number one councilor of Bogo City, told SunStar Cebu, that the TRA will be very beneficial to their community since it provides a location where local and foreign tourists who are waiting to travel to and from the city can stay.
The neophyte municipal councilor and head of the committee on environment said the project will also improve the city’s reputation because visitors can use the facility for free.
Good initiative
Meanwhile, Cebu Association of Tour Guides Inc. (Catgi) president emeritus Mary Grace Melendres told SunStar Cebu in a text message that the TRA is a good initiative of provincial and national governments to ensure that the tourists coming to Cebu will be comfortable during their visit.
Melendres said the towns of Oslob, Badian and Moalboal are the most visited routes in southern Cebu, and building a facility where a tourist can relax, refresh and rejuvenate after a long trip is a must.
“Oslob, Badian and Moalboal route is one of the famous offerings in the south, a long journey indeed. That’s why we need clean, modern, comfortable and complete amenities (like) toilet and resting area, huge parking area so that buses can be accommodated as well.” she said.
Melendres revealed that these facilities and amenities will make a good impression on the tourists, thus increasing the chances of them returning to the country.
According to Melendres, the TRA will leave a positive impression on visitors, boosting the likelihood that they will return to the country.
“A cafe or local delicacies store as well would be nice so that tourists can enjoy tasting our local food,” Melendres said,
Safety problem
Melendres, however, expressed her worries about unlicensed tour guides, which she claimed should be dealt with by the authorities right away as this would have an effect on their business and also cause a problem with the safety of tourists.
“On behalf of the Cebu Association of Tour Guides, the long-time problem that we have been dealing with are the illegal tour guides, foreign tour guides that don’t have accreditation from the Department of Tourism. They have not undergone proper training, but they are busy conducting tours here in Cebu,” Melendres said. (PAC, EHP, TPT)