August forum to consolidate C. Visayas tourism infra plans

Tourism stakeholders in Central Visayas will meet in  August to come up with a  consolidated plan for infrastructure projects  for tourism.

Priority areas have to be identified for possible funding from a P74-billion fund set aside this year, said Rowena Montecillo, regional director of the Department of Tourism.

Central  Visayas is one of nine priority Tourism Development Areas in the country due to its large number of tourist arrivals, she said.

Other priority areas are Metro Manila and  Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol, Central Luzon, Davao Gulf and Coast, Palawan, Western Visayas, Laoag-Vigan and Northern Mindanao.

Montecillo said Central Visayas would also  also try to get from the DOT a share of another P50 billion budget for road and infrastructure projects spread over four years.

This year, P3 billion was allocated for road construction  and the building or upgrading of airports. For next year, the budget would be P17 billion.

Cebu accounts for 1.7 million local and foreign arrivals a year, and is one of the top three destinations in the country after Camarines Sur and Metro Manila, according to a government census report.

For Central Visayas, areas already identified as priority areas are Northern Cebu-Bantayan-Malapascua, Metro Cebu-Mactan-Olango Island, Southern Cebu, Negros Oriental-Dumaguete-Siquijor and Tagbilaran-Panglao.

The consultation forum in August will draw inputs from the private and public sectors “to come with a strategy and our priority plans,” said Montecillo.

Central Visayas already has road projects in these areas and an allocated budget for two airports in  Mactan  and the proposed  Panglao International Airport.

“Once  we have the consolidated plan we will submit that to the EDC (Economic Development Committee) which will endorse the plan for budget allocation,” said Montecillo.