DOT to step up promotion of Camarines Sur, Bicol’s tourist hubs

by MA Loterte

Pili, Camarines Sur (11 September) — Camarines Sur has earned its niche as world class tourism destination.

The recent visit of Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” H. Durano, along with officials of Department of Tourism (DOT) and tourism stakeholders has reaffirmed the province’s top spot in the country’s most visited tourist destination with the reputation as an extreme sports hub and eco-tourism showcase.

Durano and tourism officials were in this province to look over top tourist destinations in the country in preparation for DOT’s marketing package and intensive promotion abroad to increase tourist arrivals.

Tourism attaché’s assigned in tourist-rich countries like the United States, China, Rome, London, Frankfurt and other European countries were with the DOT chief during the CamSur sorties to give them a first-hand view of local conditions that will be essential in marketing local destinations abroad.

“CamSur was the last place visited, a sort of saving the best for the last,” a DoT official said.

Next step of the country’s tourism marketing strategy will be selling local destinations to ranking tourism operators in their countries of assignment.

In a series of interviews, Durano disclosed that the promotion of CamSur is only part of a tourism tactical support package for the province.

Durano pledged to continue providing financial support to major tourism-related activities in CamSur like international wakeboarding, dragon boat and Ironman competitions.

He also assured DOT will prioritize the recommendation of Governor LRay Villafuerte to upgrade the Naga Airport, a vital component to beef up the industry, through extending the length of the runway to accommodate bigger planes and installation of modern lighting to allow night flights and interconnecting flights to and from other major international airports.

Earlier, the tourism execs led the inauguration of the newly-installed lighting and other facilities in Ligñon Hill Park, a prominent landform in the Legazpi City, Albay located behind the Legazpi Airport Tower and beside the Albay Wildlife Park.

Aside from the Mayon Volcano standing serenely behind it, Ligñon Hill Park is one of the first landmarks that greet visitors upon stepping down from an airplane. The hill’s summit offers a breathtaking 360 degree view of the city scape and the deep blue Albay Gulf, nearby towns and islands, and of course the majestic Mayon Volcano. It is becoming one of the most popular destinations for locals and visitors alike.

The tourism secretaty also made a side trip to Embarcadero Philippines, a major waterfront development also in Legazpi City that is becoming a destination for both local and international tourists alike, and spent the night at Misibis Bay Resorts, a prime commercial and residential estates nestled in the Pacific that boast of a wide stretch of pristine white sand and a scenic route along the Sula Channel putting it firmly on the International tourist map.

Durano capped his city sorties speaking at the International Academic Colloquium, sponsored by Bicol University, expounding on “Tourism Challenges to Higher Education Institutions”. (PIA V)