Laguna tests ‘tourism circuit’

Laguna is offering a cluster of destinations and natural attractions as the province reopens its tourism industry.

These destinations, closed off to visitors for months as part of the government’s pandemic protocol, are located in parts of Laguna that saw fewer cases of COVID-19 than in its urban centers, like the hills of Tanaw (Tayak Adventure, Nature and Wildlife) Park in Rizal town and the eerie catacombs at the historical Underground Cemetery of Nagcarlan town.

Regina Austria, supervisor of the Laguna Tourism, Culture, Arts and Trade Office, said San Pablo City and the towns of Liliw, Nagcarlan, and Rizal were selected to form the “Laguna Tourism Circuit.”

“There is one cluster [of destinations] per province, so for Laguna, this is the one we have proposed,” she said in a telephone interview on Thursday.

SCENIC SPOT The scenic Sampaloc Lake in San Pablo City is part of the Laguna provincial government’s tourism circuit that is hoped to attract visitors to sites where fewer cases of COVID-19 have been recorded and where health protocols are strictly observed. —AL BENAVENTE/CONTRIBUTOR

Green corridor

Led by the Department of Tourism (DOT), a group of tour operators, local officials, and health experts tested a two-day itinerary on the province’s tourism circuit from Dec. 14 to Dec. 15 to “assess” the readiness of the sites to accept visitors anew.

The initiative is part of the DOT’s “Green Corridor,” which follows the global idea of establishing travel bubbles for safe travel during the pandemic. These corridors are normally a cluster of adjacent destinations.

The Laguna circuit included tours to San Pablo’s Sampaloc Lake, a pottery session in a local bed and breakfast, and farm tours.

Visitors can also go to the ancient St. Bartholomew Parish in Nagcarlan, shop for popular footwear in Liliw, and engage in outdoor recreation at Tanaw Park.

Lester Uriate of the DOT Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) regional office said the Department of Health and tour operators’ associations would still have to “validate” the capacity of these attractions and accommodations to ensure the safety of guests.

The DOT has yet to give a timeline for the full reopening of the circuit or issue specific requirements for tourists entering the local communities.

Bayside destinations

In Batangas province, a similar initiative by the DOT and local tourism officers has identified a “Bayside Tourism Circuit” that included the beach towns of San Juan, Taal, Calatagan, and Nasugbu.

The DOT said Calabarzon had lost P113.7 million in tourism revenues from January to June alone. The region’s tourist arrival (domestic and foreign) was down to 3,448,453 in the first quarter of 2020, from 14,994,303 during the same period in 2019.