New things up for EATOF in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia bared a lot of things to happen for the first time in the 12 years of existence of the East Asian Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (EATOF) General Assembly that will start tomorrow at the Cebu International Convention Center.

For the first time, Garcia said the assembly will have a tourism, trade and investment forum in addition to the usual governors’ conference and academic meetings.

Another is the holding of EATOF Festival during EATOF Night where performances from member provinces will be showcased.

The EATOF Song composed by Cebuano Gani Villarojo will also be aired for the first time during the assembly.

“We are grateful for the active participation of private sector in assisting the province for all the activities that we shall be holding,” Garcia said as she also thanked the cooperation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine National Police.

Ten out of 12 member-provinces of EATOF have signified their participation such as Jilin, China; Gangwon, South Korea; Sarawak, Malaysia; Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Tottori, Japan; Luang Prabang, Laos; Tuv, Mongolia; Siem Reap, Cambodia; and Quang Ninh, Vietnam.

Those who did not signify participation are Primorsky, Russia and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

EATOF is an organization which focuses on promoting the tourism sector of each member-province.

During their stay in Cebu, a tour is being organized for all the delegates in Camotes Island to be led by Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale who chairs the committee on tourism and international relations in the Provincial Board.

Last year, Garcia and Magpale attended the EATOF assembly in Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam.

It was during that conference when Garcia said the organization must begin conceptualizing and executing concrete plans that will realize its power to integrate and consolidate each province’s strengths.

She was referring to real projects, such as charter flights between member-provinces and participation in each other’s expositions and festivals, student exchanges and joint academic pursuits. — (FREEMAN)