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Siquijor - Call to prioritize Siquijor in Tourism Plan

Governor Fua calls on RDC to prioritize Siquijor in tourism plan

2009/04/21

PIA Press Release

by Edalou T. Manigo, TSM

Province of Siquijor (23 October) - Siquijor Governor Orlando "Shane" A. Fua, Jr. recently appealed to the Central Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) during its full council meeting held at the Siquijor State College to prioritize Siquijor for its inclusion under the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan (STMP) for Central Philippines as a premier tourist destination in the country.

Fua who was apparently dismayed by Siquijor's exclusion in the list of both priority and emerging strategic destination areas (SDAs) of the draft STMP asserted that the province has tourism products that could equal those one expects to find in areas of the regions that comprise Central Philippines.

"We want Siquijor not just a tourism destination by implication but as part of the total package that is Central Philippines," Fua said.

Fua said that Siquijor should be given priority focus, citing its meager resources, unlike Cebu and Bohol which have enough internal resources to boost their tourism industry.

Based on the STMP draft, an SDA is composed of priority tourism development areas adjacent to each other which is characterized to have: (a) critical mass of attractions, facilities and services, (b) capacity of environment to sustain tourism development, (c) capability of direct accessibility from key source markets, (d) diversity of product offer, (e) area geographically large enough to allow different forms of tourist development to coexist and (f) potential to be promoted as "stand alone" destinations in the market place.

Two of the priority SDAs are in Central Visayas and these are in Cebu and Bohol. The five priority SDAs as ranked in the plan are as follows: 1st - Cebu/Sogod (Metro Cebu, Sogod and North Islands); 2nd - Boracay and Carabao (Boracay Island and Carabao Island); 3rd - Bohol (Tagbilaran - Panglao, Jagna to Anda, Tubigon to Jetafe); 4th - Northern Palawan (EL Nido - Taytay, San Vicente-Roxas Aewa, Puerto Princesa); 5th - Iloilo/Guimaras/Negros Occidental - (Metro Iloilo-Guimaras, Bacolod-Silay, The Northeast Coast, Mount Kanlaon).

Those that did not qualify as priority SDAs were classified as emerging SDAs, to wit: 1st - Dumaguete SDA (Dumaguete-Sibulan-Tambobo Bay, Bais Bay Area); 2nd - Bicol SDA (Naga City-Pili Area, Albay-Sorsogon Area) and third, Samar SDA (Samar-Leyte Interface, Southern Samar.)

Areas that comprise the Central Philippines Super region are Bicol (region 5), Western Visayas (Region 6), Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), the provinces of Palawan, Romblon and Camiguin, the island of Siargao and the City of Dapitan.