Gov't agencies merge efforts to boost south tourism cluster

CEBU, Philippines - Government agencies will join hands to further develop the tourism strength in the southern Cebu cluster in the towns of Boljoon, Oslob, Samboan and Santander.

This aside from the controversial whale shark tour program, Oslob and the neighboring towns should develop other attractions to sustain its tourism advantage, said Department of Tourism (DOT-7) regional director Rowena Montecillo.

Montecillo said while these four towns in the southern part of Cebu compose one of the strongest tourism clusters in the province, it has to strengthen other attractions, other than the whale sharks.

Alternative livelihood for the residents should be introduced, while helping the local government units to draw out plans in developing other tourism related destinations, such as old churches, museums, beaches, natural resources like waterfalls, among others.

For this reason, Montecillo said DOT-7 will coordinate with other agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

She added that while the Cebu provincial government wants a complete study on the whale shark tour program particularly in Oslob, this cluster of towns should start to cultivate and take advantage other attractions, as there are many.

Together with the Cebu provincial government, and other concerned national agencies, Montecillo hopes that these towns will be able to climb in higher level in terms of attracting tourists, not just going there for the whale shark watching, but also for other destinations and activities.

Significantly, she said services, accommodations related to tourism should be improved, alternative livelihood for the residents, and fishermen should also be introduced, so that they will not be too dependent on the whale shark watching activity.

For her part, DTI-Cebu provincial officer director Nelia F. Navarro said that this particular cluster has strong potential in their OTOP (One-Town-One-Product) program.

Oslob’s is famous for its Coco Coir industry, Boljoon for its ceramics, Samboan for handicraft and Santander for its Tuscado baked product.

These are just one of the products that will be maximized by these towns to support its potential in tourism sector.

Navarro said her office is willing to work closely with the tourism regional office here, together with the respective local government units to craft effective tourism materplan for the four towns.

Aside from strengthening the OTOP program in these towns, Navarro said these towns can also benefit in the existing LINKs program or the Leveraging Industries Supply Chain.

Part of the LINKs program, is to enjoin the travel agencies in the region for support, in order to include the locally produced products in their respective itineraries.

In the supply of raw materials for tourism-related establishments, DTI and DOT will tap the organized farming community or cooperatives to put together their produced products to supply the requirements of the local tourism establishments.

According to Navarro, there are a lot of livelihood opportunities that residents can enter into, aside from the whale shark attraction. (FREEMAN)