ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Dec. 21 -- The regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Eastern Visayas has turned over gears to eight organizations in this city under the Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) on product development and capability building for various tourism livelihood opportunities on Thursday.
The beneficiaries are the Cabintan Local Eco-Guide Association; Maglahug, Gaas, Kasudsuran, Sayahan Eco-Guide Association; Active Genuine Youth Leader Association; Brgy. Org. Serve & Accommodate You; Naungan-SanJuan Mangrove Planters Association; Ormoc Food Park Barbecue Stall Occupants; Ormoc City Drivers and the Ormoc Youth Organizations.
The groups received recreation gears and equipment, culinary implements and uniforms, which are aimed to help boost their services and prepare the city to become one of the top tourist destinations in Eastern Visayas.
“I like to thank you, Mayor Richard Gomez, for making it possible for the completion of the Ormoc BUB program, this has been a fund for 2016. I almost thought that we will not be able to use the fund,” DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said during the turn-over ceremony.
Around PHP7 million budget for tourism purposes was about to be returned to the national coffers after the previous administration failed to submit a proposal for its use.
“You all have your trainings and gear, what else will you asked for? It is now in your hands if you will use these gears or not,” Tiopes said.
Tiopes added that part of the tourism plan of the DOT for Ormoc is to create a circuit for local governments offering tourism related activities in the western part of Leyte, where the city serves as the service center.
“For this area, one of the circuit created was the BOP or the Baybay-Ormoc-Palompon circuit, where Ormoc City serves as the service center meaning the tourist will sleep here or do shopping because you have more facilities and services for tourist,” Tiopes explains.
Baybay City is known for its Linta-on Peak 16,000 Blossoms in Pomponan village, which is also a major tourist destination of the city during Holy Week.
Ormoc City, aside from the famous Lake Danao and the geothermal plant that is ideal for educational tourism, is also known as the best jump-off point to Alto Peak, the highest elevation in Eastern Visayas.
Palompon is known for Kalanggaman Island, the leading tourist destination in Eastern Visayas with white sand beach and long stretch of sand bar.
Aside from the BOP circuit, the DOT will also promote the city along with Tacloban and Calbayog to become MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events) destination in 2019.
MICE industry added value for tourism and enhances the tourism economy and is one of the key drivers of tourism destination development and important sources of income, employment and investment.
“As part of the preparations, you need to improve your tourist activities, because when they come, they will not only focus on their conference but will also asked what are the other activities that they can do in Ormoc,” Tiopes said.
Activities that tourist can do while mountain trekking are the city tours, mangrove tour and a visit to Lake Danao.
Gomez, during the turnover of the gears, asked beneficiaries to take care of the gears and always treat tourists properly.
“Make it a wonderful experience for them when they visit. Give them the excitement of coming back to experience again the activities that you offer, Always make them feel good, make your place beautiful and make them feel that Ormoc love them” Gomez added. (RTA/PNA)
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