By Tara Yap ILOILO CITY — Three months after the sea tragedy, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing to bring in at least P426 million to the economy of the island province of Guimaras. “The DOT cannot just sit down, relax, and see Guimaras tourism go down into oblivion with many residents suffering,” said Atty. Helen Catalbas, DOT’s regional director for Western Visayas. Visitors flock to the island province of Guimaras for the sweetest varieties of mangoes. But its tourism industry continues to slump after the August 3 sea tragedy that killed 31 people.
(Tara Yap/ MANILA BULLETIN) “We have to do address this,” Catalbas told Manila Bulletin after the recent launching of Oplan Love Guimaras Assistance Package (OLAP). The DOT-led marketing campaign aims to bring in at least 126,000 tourists for a 12-month period. Guimaras tourism drastically slumped after 31 people died when three passenger boats capsized along the Iloilo Strait, the body of water separating Guimaras from Iloilo City and its neighboring towns. The August 3 sea tragedy altered the ease of the15-minute ride onboard wooden-hulled passenger boats known as “motor bancas” with Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) imposing new rules that hindered mobility of both local residents and visitors. Guimaras has long been known for having one of the sweetest varieties of mangoes. It also boasts of white-sand beaches and has become an alternative beach destination to both residents and visitors of Iloilo City, the regional capital. The almost P426-million target is not even half of the P2.5 billion Guimaras earned for fiscal year 2018 from its 133,525 visitors. “This is just DOT’s target.  It will be higher as other tourism players will have their own marketing plans,” added Catalbas.