TOURIST INFLUX. Foreigners huddle around a food stall at the regular Sunday market in Valencia, Negros Oriental. Tourist arrivals in the province rose to more than 350,000 for the first half of the year, the Provincial Tourism Office said Monday, July 29. (PNA photo by Mary Judaline Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY — The number of tourist arrivals in Negros Oriental for the first half of the year has reached more than 350,000.
Records from the Provincial Tourism Office on Monday showed that as of June 30, the province logged 356,245 tourist arrivals, almost triple last year’s figure of 122,047.
Woodrow Maquiling Jr., provincial tourism executive director, attributed the rise in tourist arrivals to the province’s aggressive and massive promotions and development of new sites by the provincial government.
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These include the Viaje de Amor, where new tourist destinations are extensively promoted, in the northern part of the province.
Also, the Sunday market in Valencia town is getting popular by the day, with food stalls, fresh vegetables and fruits, and plants, among others, sold at the town plaza.
The leading foreign tourists are from the United States, China, and France, in addition to local visitors, records also showed.
No other data are available yet as the tourism office is still getting and consolidating reports from hotels and other accommodations in this city.
With this new development, Maquiling believed the province would breach its target of 500,000 tourists by the end of 2024. The influx of tourists could reach 600,000 arrivals.
He said the increase in construction activities in this capital city would further boost the economy.
“As it is right now, it is becoming an emerging destination, and we hope to ensure sustainability, especially in our tourism programs,” he added.
Maquiling cited the need for strong partnerships between the government and the private sector to strengthen the tourism industry. (PNA)
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