ORMOC CITY, Philippines — If there is one industry that could provide immediate economic growth to the Visayas, it will be tourism.
Thus, Leyte 4th District Representative Lucy Torres Gomez called on the local government units as well as the private sector players in the region, to drive tourism to the frontier of priorities. Gomez spoke before the nearly 500 delegates to the 25th Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC) organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry , which commenced yesterday at the Sabin Beach Resort in Ormoc City.
Gomez, who is the chairperson for the Committee of Tourism in the House of Representatives, said that cultivating the "soul of tourism" in the region, is the main fuel that empowers the region's capacity to turn around its economic position.
Compared to the tourism-fed economy of Bali, Indonesia, the Visayas, as a region has it all, and even more than what Bali has, but what is lacking is how the local people and authorities are packaging or presenting their products to the travelers — local and foreign tourists alike.
Capitalizing on the rawness of nature-based destinations — lakes, caves, beaches, mountains, farms, diving spots, among others, and putting a hype of culture, and heritage and telling a story in every product a local destination has like food, the beauty of province lifestyle, are just few of the lures that Visayas could exploit to bring the world here, she said.
While the region has a number of industries contributing to its economy such as agriculture, manufacturing, and mining, tourism is still considered as underrated despite its potential to outsmart even the most visited places in Asia, like Thailand, Bali, Indonesia, among others.
The lady solon mentioned Bali’s culture of tourism, which she said is worth emulating, wherein (practically) everybody exudes pride in presenting their place with confidence without apologizing for minor or even major imperfections of every destination.
This culture of tourism should be adapted in the Visayas — organizing and capitalizing not only the attractions, but the very "soul" of tourism, which is the human capital — to romanticize the imagery of raw and rural lifestyle.
Under the "One Visayas" blueprint, the three regions in the Visayan corridor — Central, Eastern and Western Visayas could enjoy the wealth of tourism that has been there waiting to be reaped.
Bannering the theme "Change is Here", the largest business conference in the Visayas, in which the government has an active participation, showcased the major change that tourism can bring to the beautiful, yet very demure beauty and sometimes "undervalued" potential of the Visayas, as the center of tourism attraction in the Philippines.
PCCI president George T. Barcelon echoed Torres' confidence in pushing for serious tourism agenda in the Visayas, saying, if Thailand (which offers the same attractions as the Philippines, specifically Visayas), the Philippines has no excuse why it cant reach the arrival performance of Thailand, which is more or less 30 million annually.
Destination branding expert Amor Maclang, also stressed the need for local capitalists to invest in their own backyard, and no one can go wrong in putting their money tourism, provided that presentation and packaging of any product — food, site, culture, heritage, should be given extra value, "putting sexiness in things." This is how tourism will sell today, regardless of products.
The government, through Representative Torres, and the key private sector leaders, agreed to make tourism as the main "growth recipe" for the three regions in the Visayas.
Of the three regions in the Visayas, Region VIII (Eastern Visayas), gained the world’s attention following the historical devastation brought by super-typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. Eastern Visayas, the home region and host to several emerging cities like Tacloban, Ormoc, Baybay, Maasin (in Southern Leyte), and other towns and municipalities of Leyte, posted an economic growth of 3.9 percent in 2015, topping other 11 regions in the Philippines.
"For who we are in the Visayas, the diamond in the rough waiting for our edges to be polished, so the rest of the Philippines and the world can see that we are worth it. Change is here. But let us not wait for things to be perfect before we begin moving in the direction of our dreams," Gomez concluded. (FREEMAN)