Local tourism blooms in Medellin town

CEBU, Philippines - Ahead of the summer season and the annual town fiesta, most beach resorts in Medellin are now fully-booked as local and international tourists drop by at the eco-adventure tourism capital of the North and the province’s golfing capital.

“It’s totally a peak season here and we’re bracing for a lot of tourists to come. In the barangays of Mahawak and Kawit alone, seaside resorts are now 80 to 90 percent occupied,” said Medellin’s tourism officer Giles Anthony Villamor in an interview.

Villamor described Medellin as once a “sleeping or ghost town” but is now repackaged by the municipal government into a rising tourist destination. Last year, it posted over P1 million in rental and entrance fee revenues from its newly developed  facilities and destinations for  tourist.

The town’s main attraction, the Funtastic Island Resort on the island-barangay of Gibitngil, is expected to draw more visitors banking on its recent exposure on the print and social media as well as in the local and national television.

Nestled atop a series of rock formations just a few meters from the island’s shore and interconnected with concrete foot bridges, Funtastic Island also offers cliff diving, zipline, kayaking, and more recently, T-biking.

Villamor said the gradual booming of local tourism industry in the town provides alternative sources of income to local dwellers who used to depend only on fishing and farming as a means of livelihood.

“Our fishermen catch fish at night and drive tourists to Gibitngil in the morning,” he said.

Villamor, who is also the municipal planning and development coordinator,  said being run by the local government makes Funtastic Island unique although he also pointed out the role of the private sector in this tourism development.

“We are working closely with the private entities in the town to make the whole thing work,” Villamor said, adding that tapping the private sector is considered a necessity.

He said they are coordinating with small-scale business establishments, like beach resorts, to cater the needs of guests in terms of comfortable accommodation, for example.

Other attractions in the town include a hilltop zip-away, cable car and tarzan jump in Barangay Caputatan Norte, Dagusungan River and Dayhagon Canal cruise, and a watch tower, Hideaway beach, and Discovery Reef on the east coast.

Medellin is also home to two international golf courses, the Mercedes Golf Club and the six-storey Korean-owned Queens Island Golf and Hotel, which operates with a golf course, 24-hour restaurant, swimming pool and high-end room accommodations.

Villamor said they are now starting to explore more tourist destinations in the town particularly looking at Discovery Reef’s potentials in snorkeling, scuba diving and other underwater adventure.

The reef, which is located on the east coast, is near Capitancillo, Kalanggaman Island and the world renowned Malapascua Island.

He also believes that the improvement on infrastructure, like roads and street lighting projects, has generally contributed to the town’s modest success.

Medellin, recognized as an emerging model LGU in good governance by the provincial government last year, will celebrate its annual town fiesta on April 26-27 in honor of its patron saint Sr. Santo Niño.

Several activities are in line for the celebration, including the major highlight Katubhan Festival which will start at 1 p.m. on April 27.  The town will also hold a search for Mr. and Ms. Funtastic Medellin 2013, acrobatics shows, amateur boxing bouts and other nightly activities. /JOB (FREEMAN)