CEBU CITY – Although the Philippines is among the world’s top dive destinations, it does not earn as much from tourism because of the loss of its marine biodiversity, according to a top tourism official.

Only 10 percent of the country’s marine resources remain, Tourism Undersecretary for Sports and Wellness Cynthia Carreon noted over the weekend. “We need to recover the 90 percent.”

The Philippines has been ranked No. 2 dive destination worldwide, next only to Palau, Carreon said. But realizing the potential of the dive market, she added, would require serious efforts to protect marine life.

She cited the need for concerted actions from the government and the local communities to enable the Philippines to attract more dive tourists. But she noted that many coastal villages, including local government officials, had yet to be aware of the immense benefits that marine preservation would generate.

“The local officials should know who among the residents in their areas are using destructive methods of fishing,” Carreon said. Most of them had not been aggressive in stopping illegal fishing, she added.

Preserving coral reefs

In particular, Carreon, who also heads the Philippine Commission on Sports and Wellness, stressed the need to preserve the coral reefs as an important component of dive tourism.

Based on studies of popular dive sites in the Caribbean and western Atlantic regions, Carreon said that the total economic benefits from coral reefs yearly ranged from $100,000 to $600,000 per square kilometer of reef. The bulk, she said, came from tourism and recreation.

The Caribbean study also found that the region’s rich marine biodiversity attracted about 2.4 million people in 2000 and supported about 120,000 small fishermen. Divers spent an average of $2,100 per stay, more than the regular tourists’ $1,200, Carreon said.

Dive markets

In the Philippines, the best dive sites include Malapasqua and Moalboal in Cebu, Apo Island in Dauin, Negros Oriental. Carreon said the top dive markets included Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but the DOT has been conducting aggressive promotions in Europe.

A managing director of the dive company Sea Explorer rated the Philippines as an excellent dive destination but maintained that divers would prefer to see its dive sites preserved.

Divers are willing to pay the fees imposed by the host municipalities of many dive sites, Martin Nussbaumer said, but in return, they wanted to see that part of the amount would go to site protection.

Nussbaumer foresees a slowdown in the global dive tourism market so only the best dive destinations will attract the tourists. “From medium to long term, I still believe that the Philippines has great potential (as a dive destination),” he said.