MCIA, DOT, DOTr to promote tourism

CEBU, Philippines — To help the Cebu provincial government in promoting its tourism industry, the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) along with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will soon hold a tourism event in Bantayan Island.

In a report on Sugbo News, MCIA General Manager Steve Dicdican has announced last Thursday that together with the DOT and their private partner Megawide Corporation, they will hold the event in Bantayan Island by November.

Governor Gwen Garcia had suggested that they hold a mini-tour in Santa Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos towns so that visitors can experience the hospitality and beauty of these towns.

Dicdican said the event aims to encourage people to visit the resorts under the new normal while observing safety guidelines and protocols mandated by the government.

“Ang ato man gud situation karon, there are many countries that are trying to resume tourism. And in a way, it’s not a very visceral experience. For most people, it’s just a set of protocols and the idea that the destination is open, they don’t see it, they don’t feel it, and most people like (to) stay home, wanting to be safe. We have to drown that urge. We’ll have to do something that will enliven them and will promote that desire to travel. The best way to do that is to show,” he added.

They will invite around 80 individuals to visit the island who will show how travel can be done under the new normal.

“The idea is to bring in people who can influence others for everyone to see, for everyone to experience what they are experiencing in a sort of visual way, how travel can be done safely. It’s skilled, ato lang ganahan ipakita because what we want to show is targeted messaging and we want to have it in a controlled environment. It’s sort of an experiment of how the new tourism normal will look like. That’s how you conduct an experiment, we’ll try to do it in a setting where  a lot of the factors are controlled,” he said.

The event is planned to be held together with the soft opening of the Bantayan Airport.

The 1.2-kilometer runway is 90 percent complete and is set to be finished in November. — GAN (FREEMAN)