CEBU GOV. Gwendolyn Garcia said local tourists should not be given a hard time by requiring them with many documentary travel requirements and even announced that there are no age restrictions for Cebuanos who wish to visit renowned tourist spots in the province.
She said guests are required to present their confirmed booking at
hotels and resorts upon embarking at the ports. These confirmed bookings will
also serve as requirement for the purchase of the two-way boat ticket in going
to the island tourism sites.
Tourism operators expressed their concern that some prospective
guests are wary of travelling because of stringent protocols including being
asked of medical certificates.
The Provincial Tourism Task Force considers the two-way ticket as
proof that their visit is tourism in nature and thus differentiates them from Locally
Stranded Individuals (LSIs), Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR),
and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) or repatriated Filipinos and or seafarers.
Garcia said every Cebuano, regardless of their age, can visit any
tourism sites in Cebu since the province is already under Modified General
Community Quarantine.
Department of Tourism Regional Director Shalimar Tamano supported
the governor’s statement, adding that families prefer to travel
together. “Who would want to travel kun dili kuyog ang pamilya,” he said.
Shipping companies serving the Bantayan Island route from Hagnaya
Port in San Remigio town should ask for the QR code of their confirmed tour
bookings before allowing tourists to board the ferry. This is aside from
the standard face mask and face shield requirement for all travelers and other
health and safety protocols.
The
shipping companies are also required to post their scheduled trips at the
tourism portal www.discover.cebu.gov.ph. so
guests can easily check the availability of trips. Guests are likewise
encouraged to wear personal air purifiers upon entry in resorts and
accommodation establishments. Should they fail to have one, the establishments
will have to provide for them by renting it out to the guests.
Tourism stakeholders were elated when Garcia announced the
reopening of tourism in Bantayan Island.
“This is a message of gratitude Gov. Thank you very much for
coming and for opening us up again and helping us with our economy,” Rissa
Gigante, an accommodation operator, said and her voice cracked upon thanking
the governor.
Sta. Fe Mayor Ithamar Espinosa said he had second thoughts on the
reopening of tourism but expressed his full trust and confidence on Garcia and
the tourism task force in leading the island to a new normal in tourism.
“Sa akong pagtimbang-timbang daw sa nabahin akong hunahuna. Mahimo
ba kong malipayon karon nga aduna na’y kahayag nga subli nang mag-abli ang
turismo o mabalaka kaha sa pagdagsa na unya sa bagang duot sa katawhan. Niining
tungora, sa dako nako nga pagyukbo ang maong dakong lakang og kalambuan sa
akong lungsod nga pagkonsiderar sa kadaghanan isip Paradise of the North,
gitugyan nako kanimo Gobernadora uban sa imong task force for tourism,” he
said.
“Basta kun unsay madesisyonan ninyo karong adlawa, ako inubanan sa
mga Sta. Fehanon, sama sa kanunay, way paglubad nga mosuporta kanimo Governor
Gwen Garcia, sa panon paingon sa labing bag-ong kalambuan sa turismo,” the
mayor said.
Sta. Fe was cited last year by DOT as the 7th most visited tourism
site in the Philippines and the 1st in Cebu Province. “Sirado ang turismo,
sirado sad ang negosyo. Wala’y mga bisita wala pu’y kita ang katawhan,”
Espinosa said.
Madridejos Mayor Salvador dela Fuente, meanwhile, said that while
their town is far away from the influx of tourists and activities in Sta. Fe,
opening the island’s tourism will greatly benefit them as well.
“Kami sa Madridejos bisan tuod wala kami daghan turista pero kami
taga Madridejos kami ang nag-suplay sa mga seafoods diri sa inyo sa Sta Fe, sa
Bantayan. Salamat Gov. Dako kaayo ni nga factor tungod kay mosaka na sad ang
presyo sa mananagat ug sa demand nga mahitabo diri sa Sta. Fe,” he said.
Garcia underscored that reopening tourism is a priority as
millions of Cebuanos whose income and livelihood were lost have been suffering
since the start of the lockdown in March. “I don’t think anyone can accuse
me now that I am making light of Covid-19. Because I have suffered through
Covid-19 and I continue to suffer because I have lost two brothers. And I
continue to suffer as governor when I see the suffering of the Cebuanos
precisely because of these restrictions that have been imposed for Covid-19. Apan
nia ko, to tell you and to sound the clarion call that Bantayan Island and the
municipalities of Sta. Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos are open for the tourism
business,” she said. (Vanessa L. Almeda)
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