Cong. Edgar Chatto believes the tourism industry may be resilient but it needs continuous support in capacity and product development.
Chatto said this during an online consultative meeting with Central Visayas regional line agencies, including the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The solon said that the current situation is the best time to put up infrastructure such as roads for this is part of product development aspect of tourism.
The slowdown in tourism is also an opportunity to upgrade standards of facilities like hotels/resorts to be recover towards the next or even better normal. This may even be a chance for tourism establishments to comply to environmental policies, Chatto added.
Chatto, author of the Tourism Act of 2009. expressed his sentiments on tourism development during the online consultation.
Although budgets of national agencies have been directed towards coronavirus disease (Covid) response, he believes tourism programs under the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) will be the catalyst for tourism Industry’s recovery.
Chatto said infrastructure projects will address the economic slowdown through job generation which also positively impacts the services sector.
DOT Regional Director Shalimar Tamano stated that the economic growth of Central Visayas, although mainly propelled by tourism, is proportional to number of micro, small,medium enterprises (MSME) operating in the region and investments in the agriculture sector.
About 4.5 million foreign tourists visited the region, contributed an estimated P150 billion to economic growth of the country, statistics from the DOT said.
Data from the government shows that the average expenditure of each visiting tourist pegged at P4,500.
The DOT has assured its stakeholders of all-out support on the development plans, stressing that health and safety measures will be the top priority.
In Bohol, World Bank supported road projects can help the growth of relatively unknown tourist sites.
The relatively
unknown tourism sites can use marketing and promotions to attract mote tourists to visit the sites,Tamano added.
Tourism’s downtime may be a global reality, Chatto said, but economies can diversify, capturing investments that align with sustainable development goals.
AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY’S DEVELOPMENT
Agriculture can be strengthened to ensure food security. It is a matter of being ready to grab such opportunities, he said, citing policy direction of Gov. Arthur Yap.
The provincial government has been pouring investments in agriculture, sustaining food self-sufficiency advocacies in the home at the same time supporting farmers and fisher folks.
Chatto initiated the virtual meeting of regional line agencies together with Bohol representatives Erico Aristotle Aumentado of the second district and Kristine Alexie Tutor of the third district a few days before the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte cited local travel as a means to boost economy, provided necessary systems to ensure health and safety are in place.
ICT PUSH
Meanwhile, Chatto also advances the idea of Digital Bohol, using technology as a key development initiative in the new normal with various sectors pushing the advocacy of
information and communications technology (ICT) advancements in Bohol especially for the education sector.
During his time as Bohol governor, Chatto pushed for the development of the Information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry in the Bohol.
ICT development was seen as a worthwhile move as businesses have shifted to online systems and processes in response to reduced physical contact requirements brought about by impact of Covid.