Mayor ‘hot on trail’ to boost tourism
By Jovi T. De Leon
August 3, 2011
ANGELES CITY — Regional Development Council (RDC) Tourism Committee chairman and this city’s Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan said that a number of potential “tourism hot spots” in the region have been identified, including sites in Angeles City – the regional launchpad – where there is a marked interest in sports tourism.
Since assuming the RDC tourism post, Pamintuan has bared his plans, among them the “bundling” of spots for tourists in a single visit.
The RDC executive’s program is in line with the national government’s target of attracting 3.74 million tourists this year aside from increased visitor arrivals in the first five months of the year.
Pamintuan also earlier vowed to plot back into the international map of Central Luzon comprised of the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
Pamintuan cited as an example Camarines Sur which now ranks second, next to Cebu, in terms of local tourist arrivals in a list of the top 12 destinations in the country.
CamSur, he noted, is actually one of the poorest provinces in the country but is attracting tourists in droves with its wake boarding resort in Caramoan town.
“This means that sports tourism is hot,” he quipped.
“Right now, there are two wake boarding sites being built in our area. One is in Barangay Margot, Angeles City, which is being built by the local sports entrepreneurs, and another inside Clark that is being built by the Koreans. These two facilities would certainly cut into the growing market for sports tourism, considering the proximity of Angeles and Clark to Metro Manila, the main market for this sector, as compared with Cam Sur,” he shared.
Pamintuan told Sun.Star Pampanga that sports tourism may be the niche market for Region III, aside from “histourism,” which should also be developed, because of the region’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
“At Clark, we already have the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival, which is a hit even among international hot air balloon sportspersons and aficionados. The car racing and the 4×4 obstacle circuits in the Freeport are getting more and more popular. Over at Subic, a variety of water-based sports events can be calendared. Trekking to Pinatubo is already an attraction, although we have yet to develop support facilities and ensure security in the trekking sites. For amateur mountain climbers and trekkers, we also have Mt. Natib in Bataan. There are also many other areas within Region III that can be developed for a variety of sports-oriented activities,” he said.
He furthered: “I am also aware that in the coasts of Dinggalan Bay in Aurora, sports fishing is possible. Right now sports fishermen have to go to Santa Ana, Cagayan, which is 15 hours away from Manila to enjoy the thrill of their chosen sport. Aurora is only about four hours away from Manila. We certainly hope that the conduct of the Sports Tourism Conference here would attract attention to the potentials of our region, and to what it already has, insofar as sports tourism is concerned.”
In progress and moving
“I have been named chair of the Regional Development Council special committee on tourism, and as mayor of Angeles City, promoting tourism is one of our priorities, since much of the economy of Angeles depend on tourism-oriented industries. Right now, we are closely working with the Reid Foundation, an adjunct of Asia Foundation and the USAID, in developing a tourism road map not only for Angeles but for the Clark-Subic Corridor. We are now in the process of presenting the draft road map to various stakeholders to get more inputs. But we need to do a lot of spadework for Region III to make it to the top 12 destinations. We are not in that list yet, which is an eye opener,” Pamintuan disclosed.
He added: “If we are able to validate the Tourism Roadmap that we have developed, this will provide us the directions and the to-do agenda to put our region in the national and international tourism map.”
Harnessing the potential
Pamintuan revealed: “Central Luzon has far greater potential in tourism than what we realize at the moment. We have a diverse topography of plains, wetlands, mountains and coasts that we can develop. Our history and culture are perhaps the richest in the country, and our gustatory offerings could be a main course, if you will, in attracting tourists. Add to that the growing interest in sports tourism. It helps a lot that we have international gateways in our midst – the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and the Subic seaport. Gateways are essential in tourism. But, as I said, there are gaps that we need to fill up, particularly in ensuring efficient and safe transport in between locations, lodging, marketing and promotions, among many others.”
Aside from the gateways, he said, the proximity of Central Luzon to Metro Manila, still the main market for local tourists, is a big plus factor. “As I said, there is no need for the hassle of traveling 12 hours by land to CamSur just to wake board, if you can do it in a nearer and better facility in Clark and Angeles, which can offer attractions other than only wake boarding.”
Enhancing the entertainment capital of the country
Pamintuan said that like in Angeles City, there will always be a market for entertainment, particularly gaming and night life.
“I think that this sector will maintain, and even improve, its development pace as we move to introduce reforms. Over at the ever controversial Fields Avenue, we intend to move in to put method into it. Fields, of course, is known for its adult-entertainment establishments. However, we will not come in as some crusading moralists that would padlock these establishments, unless they violate the laws. What we plan to do is to improve on the “look” of the area, to open it up for more wholesome establishments, like fine dining restaurants that serve international cuisine. There are, in fact, already many fine restaurants in the area that can cater to the whole family. We intend to put these restaurants and hotels in one area, and separate them from the nightclubs that cater to adult clientele, and also impose stricter rules on the latter. One thing is sure, we will be uncompromising those involved in shenanigans, like human trafficking and prostitution,” Pamintuan narrated.
Pamintuan stressed that the key to a successful, long term tourism program is cooperation.
“The key here is the participation of the local governments, as well as the private sector. I think that the private sector will certainly come in if we can show them that there is business in tourism-oriented enterprises. Transportation, bed-and-breakfast facilities, gourmet restaurants – these are areas where the private sector can participate in. Government, both local and national, on the other hand, will have to work on the hard and soft infrastructure, security, marketing and promotions and other support mechanisms,” said Pamintuan.
Published in the Sun.Star Pampanga newspaper on August 03, 2011.
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2011/08/02/mayor-hot-trail-boost-tourism-170540
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