Tuesday, April 24, 2012

DOT XI lauds Visit Samal 2012



ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL, April 24 (PIA):  The Department of Tourism (DOT) XI has noted the efforts of the Island Garden City of Samal to drum up its tourism  campaign in line with “It’s more fun in the Philippines” promotion campaign. During the opening rites of  Visit Samal 2012, DOT XI Regional Director Arturo Boncato  was glad that the island city had started creating “noise” about its being a must-see place especially during this summer season.

Boncato noted that its campaign to entice more visitors to take a look and experience Samal Island “has become bigger and grander with stronger participation of the private sector.” Started last year, the Visit Samal 2012 is the second round of promotion campaign aimed at enticing domestic travelers and visitors to come, see and spend time in the island city during the summer season.

This year, it carries a promo line “Where Life Is Fun.” Stretching until July 15, the Visit Samal 2012 lines up various inland and coastal activities done mostly in competitions in sports, music,  beauty pageant, dance, painting, among others. As the island city has started catching attention of domestic visitors country-wide,  Boncato revealed that it will be one of the places-to-see in a visit this month  of the  staff and personnel of BBDO Guerero, the advertising agency which won DOT’s tourism branding campaign.

“It’s a sort of incentive. Instead of going outside the country, they’ll be seeing Davao and Samal Island will be one of the places they will go,” he said. Aside  from supporting the Visit Samal 2012,  DOT XI is also working on a marketing program “bringing Samal out of Mindanao, out of the Philippines,” Boncato said but he did not elaborate how would the marketing would go and when would it start.

In priming the island city to become one of the prime destinations in the country, DOT prioritizes Samal in its convergence project with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which DOT has worked with in establishing access roads to tourist destinations.

Aside from the circumferential road that DOT pushes to get done in the island city,  Boncato also pointed on the need for sustainable source of power and water , and a waste management system that he considered as important “before we can take off and become sustainable as a tourist destination.”

Though much remains to be done, Boncato was glad of the Visit Samal activity which puts together  the local government unit , the national government and the private to work together for tourism development. “It has achieved the objective of putting everybody to work behind tourism,”  he said.

Meanwhile,  Island Garden City of Samal Administrator Jon Gales said the city government still maintains its position to develop Samal as “an urban area with a rural setting”.  “It’s  natural endowment  makes Samal attractive.  We are keeping  its natural endowment,” he said. Part of sustaining the natural endowment, the city government wants to ensure sanitation along the stretch of its coastline.

Gales said the city government will be putting in place a technology that would ensure that liquid wastes are sanitized, aside from constructing a sanitary landfill which forms part of the city’s Waste Management Plan.   (PIA-11/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)


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