THE Municipal Government of Medellin is set to open its waters to scuba diving enthusiasts after the Department of Tourism (DOT) found that some diving sites in the town have been found suitable for tourism purposes.
Medellin Mayor Benjun Mondigo said the DOT conducted a three-day exploratory assessment in the town and found that dive sites in Gibitngil Island in Barangay Kawit passed their assessment.
The DOT's exploratory assessment aims to determine if some sites in various towns and cities under Cebu Province can have the potential to become viable tourism sites.
Aside from DOT, those who participated in the three-day exploratory assessment were officials of the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office, Philippine Coast Guard, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Central Visayas.
The group was also accompanied by marine biologists who served as consultants for the assessment.
Mondigo said the group found that the dive sites in Gibitngil Island were rich and abundant in coral reefs and different fish species.
Mondigo said with the exploratory assessment, they will be able to package their town as the next scuba diving destination in northern Cebu.
Even though the town was not directly hit by Typhoon Odette in 2021, Medellin was still heavily affected due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, which also affected its local tourism industry.