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Guimaras
tourism to revive its economy
Nueva Valencia, Guimaras - An Italian couple on a two-month
holiday in the Philippines chose to include this paradise
in their itinerary and stayed at the Raymen Beach Resort
in December 2006, unperturbed by news about the oil
spill that brought the island province to world attention
in August of the same year.
"We are just here to see good beaches," said
the Boldo couple, who are just among the hundreds of
foreign guests who kept coming to Guimaras even in the
aftermath of the infamous oil spill. Guimaras has 238.3-kilometer
coastline, with long stretches of white, powdery sand
considered among the finest in the world.
Lucia
Cachuela, managing director of the El Retiro Beach Park,
noted that international visitor arrivals to Guimaras
began to pick up in November. "Tourists are coming
back," Cachuela told journalists who visited the
province as a part of the Guimaras Tourism Recovery
Program spearheaded by the Department of Tourism.
Despite the accident and the negative publicity it generated
for the province since August, data show that the number
of foreign tourists, or those who spent at least a night
in Guimaras, went up to 293 in November from 98 in October,
75 in September, and 237 in August - the month of the
accident. In November 2005, there were only 143 foreign
tourists in Guimaras.
Foreign
excursionists, or day-in visitors, also went up to 525
in November from 453 a year ago. It was also up from
257 in October, and 297 in September. In August, the
number of foreign excursionists reached 566.
Guimaras targets to attract more foreign tourists, because
they spend the highest amount while in the island. The
DOT Guests Assistance Centers in the port towns of Buenavista
and Jordan estimated the average daily expenditure of
foreign tourist at P2,000; foreign excursionist, P1,500;
local tourist, P1,500; and local excursionist, P500.
"Guimaras is very alive and kicking," said
Helen Camarista, the officer-in-charge of the Department
of Tourism in Western Visayas. "Business has never
been stronger."
"Out of 24 accredited resorts, only seven have
been hardest hit. So 17 resorts are okay," Camarista,
herself a resident of Guimaras, said.
Nueva Valencia Vice Mayor Juan Gaitan agreed, saying
many beach resorts remain unspoiled. "We are telling
people that not all areas have been affected. We encourage
them to come to Guimaras," Gaitan said.
For
example, Jose Garomita, president of the Guisi Community-based
Heritage Tourism, said that they were able to protect
the white-sand beach in Guisi, a sitio in Barangay Dolores,
Nueva Valencia town from the oil slick.
Guimaras, a 60,465-hectare island the size of Singapore
with five towns and 98 barangays and home to more than
140,000 residents, hogged the headlines when oil tanker
MT Solar I carrying 2 million liters of bunker fuel
owned by Petron Corp. sank in rough waters 10 miles
off the coast of Nueva Valencia town on August 11 this
year.
Scientists said about 300,000 liters of the cargo polluted
24,000 square kilometers of waters near the island paradise.
The spill was later contained, and clean up operations
began.
Ironically, foreign and domestic visitor arrivals to
Guimaras went up by 13 percent to 13,566 in August from
11,986 a year ago. Arrivals reached 14,501 in September;
14,163 in October and 12,221 in November.
"More attention has been given to Guimaras since
August. Now, there are scientists, researchers, and
donors who are coming to Guimaras," Camarista said.
Camarista noted that before the oil spill took place,
there were only 4 to 5 departures of pump boats each
day. Now, this has gone up to 7 to 10 departures per
day, she said.
But a few resorts are still feeling the impact of the
tragedy. "When news of the oil spill spread, seven
resorts received booking cancellations through email,"
Camarista conceded.
Peter Harper-bill, an 80-year-old British retiree who
manages the Baras Resort, said bookings were less than
half of what they used to be. "Normally, we were
fully booked around Christmas, but now we are not,"
Harper-bill said.
Tourism
is a major industry in Guimaras. In 2005, tourist arrivals
totaled 181,915 and injected P204.3 million into its
local economy. Since 2003, tourist arrivals to the province
have been rising 30 percent per annum.
Ruben Corpuz, the provincial economic officer, said
much of Guimaras, including its spectacular coastline
and rich marine biodiversity remain unexplored.
Its main attractions include Roca Encantadia, Guisi
Lighthouse, Tiniguiban Islet, Isla Naburot, Lombija
Wildlife Resort, Taklong-Tandog Island, Igang Marine
Station, Toyo Reef, and La Paz and Pamankulan Fish Sanctuaries.
Corpuz said the province is also fast rising as a destination
for mountain bike races, kayaking and tours to mango
plantations. Guimaras exports sweet mangoes to the United
States.
Corpuz said he is optimistic about the tourism prospects
in Guimaras for several reasons. These include the expansion
of the ports in Jordan and Buenavista towns, the completion
of the international airport by March 2007 in Sta. Barbara,
Iloilo which is the gateway to Guimaras, and new investments
in tourist facilities, such as the multi-million-peso
investment in the Lombija Wildlife Resort and Hotel
and a new convention center.
Julius Camacho, a cousin of businessman Henry Babiera
of the Ortigas Group who develops the Lombija zoo, said
that at more than 20 hectares, the zoo will be the largest
in the country once it opens sometime in 2008. The zoo
has been under development since 1998. Corpuz said about
P300 million has already been invested for the development
of the project, which is seen to add a new attraction
to Guimaras.
"We also envision Guimaras to be a logistics hub.
Guimaras Strait has the deepest berth for international
vessels," Corpuz said. "For Guimaras, there
is no other way but up." Roderick T. dela Cruz.
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