THE 17th Tourism Week in Negros Occidental started Friday with the unveiling of the Provincial Tourism Fair at the Fountain Area of Robinsons Place Bacolod.
Cristine Mansinares, provincial supervising tourism operations officer, said the three-day fair showcases tourism attractions and services of local government units (LGUs).
“We are bringing the tourism information offices in one venue to update Negrenses and visitors with new sites to see and activities to experience for the upcoming school break and holiday season,” Mansinares added.
Aside from the fair, the Negros Occidental Tourism Division also opened yesterday an eight-day tourism exhibit at the second floor of SM City Bacolod.
This year’s Provincial Tourism Week, which runs until September 29, is themed “Tourism for Sustainable Development” patterned from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
The week-long event is designed to raise awareness on the vital role of tourism in promoting sustainable local economic development among the LGUs, private sector partners, and the academe.
The celebration focuses on sustainable tourism as a tool for development, Mansinares reiterated, adding that the annual event is one of the provincial government’s measures to further boost the local tourism industry.
Other activities include tour guiding competitions and tourism quiz for elementary, high school and college students; thanksgiving mass and food parade; ecotourism dialogue; tourism forum on sustainability; and tourism excellence awards.
Prior to the event, the province also hosted various pre-activities like heritage forum on music and exhibit at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on September 14.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Western Visayas has recognized the province as one with the region’s best “tourism offerings” especially in terms of culinary, culture and heritage, and destinations.
Negros Occidental is the second most visited place in the country by domestic travelers, based on the 2016 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors of the DOT and Philippine Statistics Authority.