Eastern Visayas tour operators urged to form group

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, Aug. 9  -- A travel and tours executive is urging local tourism operators in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) to form an organization for stronger ties and a more intensified drive to promote local tourism destinations.

Quezon City Travels and Tours Association President Leo Lydio Picazo Jr. noted that despite the unique nature destinations in the region, Eastern Visayas has been welcoming less visitors compared to Central and Western Visayas.

“Region 8 is way far behind when it comes to tourism development. We would like to help. The only problem is we don’t know which group we should coordinate with because there is no association here,” said Picazo, one of the panelists of the 8th Eastern Visayas Regional Business Conference on Thursday.

Picazo admitted their members in Quezon City don’t have contact details of tour operators in the region to link them with tourists interested to come to Leyte and Samar provinces.

“While the development of a tourist destination is a work of the government, tourism organizations provide assistance coming up with promotion plans,” he added.

Picazo said there is also a need for the private sector to lobby for the improvement of the region’s airports to draw more international tourists.

Eastern Visayas has nine airports under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. These are in Tacloban, Ormoc, Maasin, Catbalogan, Calbayog, Borongan, Guiuan, Naval, and Catarman.

Of the airports, only Tacloban, Calbayog, and Catarman are being served by major airlines.

“When are you going to develop these airports? How can an international aircraft land in this one? Who’s going to push for it? If the government sector had plans, that would take decades. I hope the private sector can do something about it,” Picazo added.

eanwhile, Governor Sharee Ann Tan delos Santos presented the Spark Samar campaign of the local government, showing gains of the program that has been supporting people’s organization.

From the total of 207,709 tourist arrivals in 2017, the number went up to 247,065 in the first two quarters of 2018.

The most visited site is the San Juan by the Bay, a floating restaurant that gives a picturesque view of San Juanico Bridge, followed by Sohoton Cave in Basey town, Extreme Torpedo Boat Ride in Paranas town, and the Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga town. (RTA/PNA)