MANILA, Philippines - “We cannot help but admire her, admire what she has done for Cebu, particularly in the field of tourism.”
This was what Department of Tourism-Region 6 officer-in-charge Helen Catalbas said after hearing the speech of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in the third Iloilo Provincial Tourism Summit at the Iloilo Grand Hotel last July 12.
The summit gathered tourism representatives from the private and public sectors to discuss and formulate strategies to promote tourism in Iloilo.
Garcia was invited to share her expertise on tourism and the practices of the Cebu provincial government in promoting tourism, especially in the countryside.
Garcia, the first woman governor of Cebu, shared Cebu’s experience with over 200 people from various sectors, including municipal mayors and their respective tourism officers, tour operators, tour guides, councilors who head tourism committees, media practitioners, and other stakeholders.
Garcia cited Cebu’s struggles to map every tourist destination in each municipality in the province, particularly places that are unfamiliar and not frequently visited by travelers.
She said the different local government units underwent extensive training in historical, cultural and heritage mapping.
“They learned to come up with an inventory of their most important historical sites, their natural wonders and the treasures of their cultural heritage,” Garcia said.
The Cebu provincial government set up a Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to merge the concepts of travel and cultural heritage, which Cebu is famous for, into one complete package. This led to the creation of “Suroy Suroy Sugbo.”
“The Suroy Suroy Sugbo is now on its fourth year, and the change has been palpable. Nothing short of a miracle, it has changed the tourism landscape of Cebu,” Garcia said.
With the tourism program that Garcia initiated, people in the countryside have developed a pride of place.
Garcia said, “When you link tourism with heritage, you nurture a tourism culture that values preservation – whether it is of nature or of our cultural heritage.”
Garcia also shared that if countryside tourism is the centerpiece program of the government, a lot of other things will fall into place like infrastructure, peace and order, the environment, health and sanitation, employment, livelihood, and the preservation of cultural heritage.
“We have learned a lot from her experience as a leader and as a primary ambassador for Cebu to the world,” Catalbas said.
She added that she will join the next “Suroy Suroy Sugbo: Northern Escapade” slated in September.
The summit also served as venue for all tourism stakeholders to reassess the existing provincial tourism plan and finalize the tour packages for Iloilo province.
– Freeman News Service