“Tour for a Cause” breathes life back into Cordova tourism

CEBU, Philippines —  Cordova’s “Tour for a Cause” program draws local tourists, slowly breathing life back into the island town’s tourism business.

Cordova Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho said that the municipality’s aggressive move to heed Governor Gwen Garcia’s call to  open up its tourism-led economy is now also slowly paying-off, albeit very slowly.

“We know the challenges of opening our town to tourists. But we need to accept and fight these challenges to bring back our economy. To give our people the much needed income. Covid-19 is here to stay. Let's learn to live with it,” she said.

She added that the resorts’ move to reduce their accommodation rates also helped keep the tourism business in the town alive, complemented with the various “tour-for-a-cause” programs implemented by her administration.

Last year, Cordova launched its tourism recovery plan through “Dance with the Marine Life” and “Sing with the Mangroves” tour packages, to start off the re-opening of tourism, one of the town’s economic drivers.

These tour packages were created to spur the economy and create source of income for the people while protecting them against Covid-19 contamination.

The various tourism packages provided livelihood opportunities for housewives, fisher folk, and persons with disabilities (PWDs), motorcab drivers and women organizations to earn.

Considered as the home of the Netflix-featured “Bakasi” delicacy, the town of Cordova, is now gaining interest from local tourists.

The Sing with the Mangroves tour package, on the other hand, highlights the sightseeing at the bird sanctuary, Bakhaw Paradise and swimming and rowing at Catarman Mangrove Park.

 These packages were also introduced to promote Cebu’s natural tourism jewels and spur tourism.

Moreover, Cordova’s mangrove propagation center is also attracting guests. The facility, which features a view deck for bird watching, is funded by Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and its subsidiary Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC).

The two-story facility serves as the center for the protection and propagation of mangrove trees in the coastal areas, including the rehabilitation of degraded mangroves in the whole town of Cordova.

It also provides locals and visitors with information and let them appreciate the importance and benefits of mangroves in the ecosystem.

The second floor serves as a viewing deck for bird-watching activities.

This is the first mangrove center of its kind in the Visayas region and the third in the whole country, which is seen to further boost the town's huge potential in ecotourism.