CEBU, Philippines – Tourism in the municipality of Balamban continues to boost despite the economic crisis experienced worldwide.
This is according to the lot owners in the town who continue to develop their properties as local and foreign visitors discover the town’s natural beauty that is commonly found in the mountain barangays.
Architect Randy Vios, one of the board members of the Gaas-Manunggal Group, which is currently developing the towns’ eco-tourism park stated that for the past three years, the number of tourists in their place have continually been increasing.
He cited that for the first quarter of this year alone, there has been a growth of 20 percent in visitors coming to the town.
Vios, who owns the Vios Nature camp, credited the increase to Balamban’s natural resources and cold temperature compared to resorts in the city.
Yearly, he added that most of foreign tourists are from America and Japan but the greater number comes from local tourists who are looking for a place outside the city.
According to him, there are about 85 lot owners in the place and 10 of them are developing their properties for the visitors.
He said that worries in terms of security are already addressed by their local government because barangay tanods are guiding the place round the clock.
Also, the presence of the Regional Training Center of the police in the area has also benefited both the town people and the visitors.
Mayor Alex Binghay assured that everybody will be safe. He said that since they are in the mountain barangay, worries are common but they make sure that it is safe not only for the visitors for all for the residents of Balamban.
Aside from security measures, the group is also making sure that despite developments being made, they are also helping preserve the natural resources found in the municipality.
In fact, one of the rules for the lot developers is that for every square meter of development, a tree should be planted. — AJ de la Torre/WAB (THE FREEMAN)