ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines?Business leaders in the Visayas remained optimistic of continued economic growth because of the vibrant tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries in the region.

The business leaders who attended the two-day Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC) here on July 17-18 said business and economic opportunities in the region were ?still doing well? amid the global economic crisis.

Despite a slump in exports especially in electronics, furniture, and fashion accessories that have mainly affected Cebu, other industries especially tourism and call centers continued to grow.

?We cannot deny that local businesses are affected. We have more work to do and we must strive harder but there are more than enough reasons to be optimistic,? Jose Ng, 18th VABC chair and PCCI vice president for Visayas, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The Department of Tourism had earlier cited Cebu as the country?s top tourist destination based on tourist arrivals for the first quarter of this year. Other top tourist destinations including the world famous Boracay Island and Panglao Island in Bohol are also in the Visayas.

Ng said the BPO industry in Cebu is also fast-growing and is only limited by the supply of skilled workers especially in call centers.

?The demand is still there but we have to catch up in providing more employees,? Ng said.

Call center agents and supervisors are being pirated among firms because of the limited talent pool, he said. Companies also have to recruit in other cities and provinces to meet their needs.

Ng said the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry was confident of the continued growth of the tourism and BPO industries and has cited these as the two focus industries.

?We are eyeing Cebu as the tourism and BPO hub in the country,? he said.

Joe Marie Agriam, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo, said Western Visayas has generally been insulated from the impact of global economic slump because its economy is mainly agricultural and service-oriented.

Agriam said many investors still wanted to come in which shows continued confidence in the development of the region. He also cited the increase in the number of call centers in Iloilo City which has provided jobs to thousands of Ilonggos.

Iloilo has been cited as among the top ?next wave? international sites for BPO investments.

Business leaders in Bohol said the province was also experiencing unprecedented growth in its tourism industry.

Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Marietta Gasatan said Bohol had a shortage of 2,000 hotel rooms last year because of the increase in tourist arrivals which reached 500,000.