To Push Camotes Tourism, Durano allocates P9M for infra projects

CEBU, Philippines - To push the tourism revenues of Camotes Island, Cebu Fifth District Representative Ramon “Red” H. Durano VI has allocated at least P9 million for different infrastructure projects in the island.

In an interview, Durano said that the bulk of the budget will be used in fixing infrastructure in the four towns of the island --- San Francisco, Tudela, Poro and Pilar --- such as road network (concreting), sea and air ports, and power.

Rep. Durano also said that he will push the local government units (LGUs) in the four towns to strengthen their tourism development plans in order to maximize the beauty of Camotes, which is now being eyed as an emerging tourism jewel of Cebu.

The Department of Tourism (DOT-7) recently named Camotes as the “new iconic product” in the region because of its huge potential to attract foreign and local tourists, thereby providing wide options of destinations for visitors.

 “I still have to talk to the mayors of the four towns to immediately implement [sound] tourism development plan in their respective towns,” Durano said in a press conference.

Part of the plan, he said is to put up a tourism help desk in the port of Danao which is the jump-off point to Camotes. He said the establishment of theTourism Information Center will be implemented simultaneously with the releasing of budget for infrastructure projects.

“Camotes has a lot to offer. It has resources that tourists will love to go to,” said Durano, referring to the island’s white beaches, attractive lake and caves, among others.

Durano believes that providing good infrastructure on the island could bolster its potential as an alternative destination for Mactan or Bohol .

The congressman also mentioned that part of the budget will be spent on the electrification program of some barangays that still do not have power facility.

“The tourism arrivals of Camotes have grown significantly,” he said although he is not privy to the exact figure of the arrival growth.

While the RoRo (Roll-on,Roll-off) facility that offers convenient transportation access from the mainland (Cebu) to Camotes is one of the tools that fueled the increased arrivals to the island, Durano said it is also important that Camotes will have an air access.

The island has an existing healthy airstrip managed by the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) that can accommodate small airplanes. But strong demand still has to be proved so airline companies would be interested to open commercial flights to Camotes. 

Durano has also authored a bill seeking to declare more than 2,000 hectares of property on the island open to disposition for, and among productive purposes, agricultural, commercial industrial and residential. 

If passed into law, the island can attract investors especially for tourism related facilities like international hotels or resorts.