SPORTS tourism in Eastern Visayas got another break in the global stage with the "successful and mishap free" hosting of this year's La Routa-Adventure Race World Series (ARWS): Asia Championship Leg in Biliran Province from November 20 to 24, 2023.
Karen Tiopes, Department of Tourism (DOT) regional director, said the four-day adventure race was "a milestone for Eastern Visayas sports tourism."
"Sports tourism is one of the priority tour offerings of the Department of Tourism under the leadership of Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco. Eastern Visayas has a space in this product offering particularly in surfing, skimboarding, golf and adventure racing, to name a few," said Tiopes.
"The market for these sport activities domestically and globally offers Eastern Visayas a significant opportunity to increase its visitor arrival figures," she added.
Beyond this, the La Routa 2023-ARWS also allowed Eastern Visayas to showcase the "heart of the Philippines."
"It gained us promotional mileage in terms of showcasing our wonders of nature, our culture, our heritage and the warmth of our people to the foreign teams and participants from other parts of the country," Tiopes told SunStar Philippines.
La Routa, the longest running, locally organized, adventure race in the Visayas, had been popular among the domestic outdoor adventure enthusiasts from different parts of the Philippines.
This year, however, the ARWS chief executive officer Heide Muller reached out to the organizers of La Routa to collaborate for their race leg in the Philippines.
"Ultimately, the Biliran race became the Asia Regional Championship Leg. Previously, Biliran Province was the venue of Carrera Habagat, the toughest non-stop adventure racing event in the country. This 2023, it was the staging place of the ARWS, the most prestigious and globally recognized adventure racing event in the world," Tiopes said.
"This impacts positively on the image of Biliran as a most suitable place for nature-adventure activities and as the mountaineering destination of Eastern Visayas," added Tiopes.
The Fear Youth team from New Zealand emerged as the champion in this year's Asia Regional Championship after they defeated 13 other teams from India, Poland, Malaysia, and the Philippines in a challenging competition around Biliran.
The race lasted 96 hours, covering 300 to 350 kilometers of non-stop activities across remote islands, rainforests, tropical seas, and rugged terrains around the province.
The New Zealand team was composed of Dean Stewart, 20; Josiah Murphy, 20; Flynn Goodger 23; and Sophie Shallard, 20.
Their win earned them a ticket to compete in the Adventure Racing World Series in Ecuador in November 2024.
Meanwhile, Tiopes thanked Bukid Outdoor Shop and race director Jason Garrido, Freinli Mesias and their team of volunteers "for showing the world that Eastern Visayas is capable."
"We also are grateful to Biliran Province, especially, Goveenor Gerard Espina, the provincial, municipal and barangay officials, Tourism Officer Jun Oliva and team and the municipal tourism officers, and all the government and private that made this race successful," she added. (Ronald O. Reyes/SunStar Philippines)