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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DoT has 'green-minded' approach to restarting Laguna tourism

DoT has 'green-minded' approach to restarting Laguna tourism

Published Feb 4, 2021 11:16 am

The Department of Tourism (DoT) is set to launch this April its Green Corridor Initiative (CGI) in Laguna which aims to boost the economy and help restart tourism activities in the Calabarzon region under the "new normal."

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the development of green corridors play an important role in maintaining regional biodiversity, improving environmental quality, offering economic resilience opportunities, protecting heritage and culture, and supporting the economic jumpstart.

"The creation of travel corridors has been a key component in the resumption of tourism in some of the country’s destinations. We are confident that the same principle can be applied in Laguna," Puyat said during her recent two-day visit to Laguna to assess the province's readiness to reopen for tourism.

GCI is the flagship domestic program of DoT Region 4A.

During her stay in the province, Puyat also led the validation of the Dona Leonila Park at Sampaloc Lake and Casa San Pablo which are under the proposed Laguna tourism circuit of the GCI along with Tayak Nature, Adventure and Wildlife (TANAW) Park in Rizal, Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery, and the tsinelas (slippers)-making demonstration in Liliw.

"Laguna is blessed to have many open-air, nature, and culture-based tourism products that Filipinos would like to experience when traveling amid the pandemic. And best of all, Laguna can be accessed quickly and conveniently from Metro Manila through land travel, which is the most ideal way for Filipinos to travel in the current situation," Puyat said.

"There is great potential for the tourism sector in this province to rebound and recover," she added.

While the operational guidelines for the GCI are still being ironed out, the Tourism chief bared that identified tourism products will be based on their readiness and quality, guided by the development standards under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016–2022 and the Tourism Rapid Assessment (TRA).

A participatory approach will also be used in identifying the areas of development in the project which will include the production of QR-coded GREEN Card for pre-registration procedures and cashless transactions in tourism establishments.

"The technology will be able to assess the carrying capacity of identified tourism sites and attractions. In effect, domestic tourists will easily be informed about tourist flows using this digital platform, which will alert them whenever the chosen tourism site is already available to accept tourists," Puyat explained.

Participating local government units (LGUs) of Laguna have already enacted a resolution of support to and participation in the project, including a joint resolution to endorse the GCI through the City Council, the DoT said.

Apart from the resolution, LGUs also need to establish a Green Corridor Task Force (CGTF) which will be composed of the concerned provincial, municipal, and city tourism officers under the guidance of the DoT Region 4A to oversee the operations and management of the travel clusters.

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