SENATOR Imee Marcos underscored the need to adopt an intense marketing campaign to further boost the tourism industry of Zamboanga City.
Marcos made the pronouncement in a press conference on Sunday, May 4, after she visited different tourist sites in Zamboanga City.
Among the places Marcos has visited included Sta. Cruz Island, known for its pink sand beach, Fort Pilar, Mosques, and other local tourist spots.
“Zamboanga City is different from everyone else. It's unique, so maybe we need to have more intense marketing of Zamboanga and then package the different sites,” said Marcos, who is seeking reelection as a senator.
Noting the airfare is expensive, Marcos suggested that the local tourism stakeholders should focus first on regional tourism—Mindanao.
She said the local tourism stakeholders should start promoting and inviting tourists from the closest places accessible by boat and land transportation to reach Zamboanga City.
She said that the tourism stakeholders should tap the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to develop the products of the various indigenous peoples (IPs).
A one-stop-shop should be established where to sell all the IP products, making shopping for tourists easy.
“Zamboanga City has so much to offer. A lot of things can be developed to attract tourists,” she said.
The senator said there is also a need to level up the culinary sector to promote and boost gastronomic tourism.
She even suggested the revival of the barter trade since tourists like to go shopping aside from eating native foods and dishes.
Marcos noted that tourists, both domestic and foreign, used to go shopping at the barter trade in the 70s until the 80s.
Marcos arrived in Zamboanga City for a campaign sortie Saturday, May 3.
On Saturday evening, she joined Vice President Sara Duterte and Senator Robin Padilla in the second grand rally of Team Zamboanga at the Southern City Colleges gymnasium in Divisoria village.
They also campaigned for the candidates for senators of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). (SunStar Zamboanga)