Oldest Philippine City Launches Rural Tourism Development

Oldest Philippine City Launches Rural Tourism Development Raffy Osumo, Arab News

CEBU CITY, Philippines, 28 April 2006 — How about converting an unoccupied ancestral house or vacation home into a lodging or dining facility for tourists? Promoted by tourism industry players through the Turismo Rural Foundation, the concept hopes to answer the need for more hotel rooms in the central Philippine island of Cebu to accommodate tourists, not to mention the employment and income it would provide rural folks. The island of Cebu is one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines, both for foreign and local visitors. Cebu City, the oldest Philippine city located on the eastern side of the island, is also a gateway to other destinations in the central and southern Philippines. It has an international airport on nearby Mactan Island. During a meeting on Wednesday at the Maribago Island Resort in Mactan, Julie Alegrado-Vergara of Almont Holdings said rural communities in the island need appropriate tourist services and facilities such as lodging, dining and shopping centers to take advantage of the growing tourist industry. Vergara said rural folks fail to tap their tourism potential because they lack the knowledge to “start an organized tourism business.” She said that Turismo Rural Foundation could help rural folks by training them, as they will be accredited and qualified to operate lodging and dining facilities for foreigners. According to Vergara, the municipality of Argao is currently a pilot area for rural tourism because of the abundance of ancestral homes in the area and because of Argao’s identity as a tourist spot. Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia said that the Turismo Rural complements Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo (Touring Cebu), the current tourism program of Cebu province. The program displays the historical and cultural treasures of not only Cebu City but in surrounding towns as well.

 

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