MARINDUQUE, PHILIPPINES — An inter-regional tourism circuit is in the works in the MIMAROPA region and some parts of Bicol and CALABARZON, and it is the highlight of the tourism recovery plan unveiled by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat on Friday (May 21).
The tourism chief was in Marinduque province for a two-day visit during which she met local leaders and other stakeholders to prepare the province for its safe reopening for leisure travel.
She said the regional tourism office is now creating an inter-regional tourism circuit called “Center for F.U.N Tourism Circuit.”
The initiative, she said, aims to develop a tourism circuit that will focus on Farm, Food, and Faith tourism products. In the initial discussions among DOT regional offices, the province of Marinduque along with Quezon and Laguna in CALABARZON and Albay in the Bicol region will be featured in the circuit, she said.
The island-province of Marinduque, known for its popular Moriones festival, boasts of rich cultural and heritage tourism products.
Puyat said that the MIMAROPA Farm Tourism Association (MFTA) is in the pipeline for SEC Registration, the first such Regional Farm Tourism Association in the Philippines. This will strengthen the farm tourism network in the region, and address the concerns of stakeholders in food security and farm tourism development.
The DOT is also currently developing an intra-regional tourism circuit for diving and marine sports tourism. In October last year, an exploratory dive assessment was conducted in Marinduque’s Tres Reyes Island, a popular dive spot where the wreckage of sunken Chinese merchant vessels can be found. This was part of the efforts to pursue dive tourism as one of its priority products identified in the Regional Tourism Development Plan.
“As the results of our most recent travel survey have confirmed, the needs and expectations of tourists have evolved because of the pandemic. To address this, the DOT has been redeveloping tourism products and seeking out new experiences for travelers to enjoy in the new normal,” the tourism chief noted.
