HAPPY WEEKEND

Tourism peaks and downs
GINA DIZON

Tourism reaches its peak in later months of the year towards the Lenten season. And during this time, tourism means one thing. Income for the people of the locality where tourists visit. In a developing country where every peso counts, it means a lot to poverty stricken people.

It means money to send a child to school, pay utility services, pay debt, buy food and to buy important commodities. Tourism no doubt, helps families augment their income and the country in boosting its economy. In the year 2000, income in Philippine tourism totaled to 2.1 billion U.S. Dollars.

The Department of Tourism reports the Philippines ' tourist arrivals totalled 2.2 million. In 2003 it totalled 2,838,000 and has grown by almost 29 percent It is expected to grow as much as 3.4 million in 2007. In the first quarter of 2007, tourist arrivals in the Philippines grew as much as 20 percent in the same period last year.

While tourism has its ups in economy, it would be good to look at what the places of interest offer to tourists and the people as well. Baguio still has to live up to its image as the summer capital of the Philippines considering its pestering problems about lack of water, garbage disposition and market congestion where the local government seemingly has not made an inch of progress to do something about it.
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Yet, these seems to be regular problems one sees anywhere where there is a growing population and a place becomes urbanized or becomes more urbanized, which should all the more make the local government act on irritating issues which are not getting addressed.

Up north in Mountain Province and Ifugao of the Cordillera region, garbage disposal is a persistent problem. A drive along the road at the Mt Data cliff in Bauko, Mountain Province will let one see dirt and litter cascading down the slopes finding their way to the Chico river.

The same thing is found along Sumigar slopes in the contested boundaries of Mountain Province and Ifugao. Yet, we speak of the famed rice terraces in Banaue and Mountain Province .

I guess insensitive and unconscious people who don’t care about environmental health better take their lesson from residents of the tourist town of Sagada. Residents here do waste segregation, recycling and cleanliness making the environs clean. This tourist town attracts at least some 15,000 tourists a year, making its peak in December to the Lenten season. ***
In La Union, things seem to be peaking up with the links between Bauang Paradise International Development Corporation and DEMCOR Inc to boost tourism. In the same way, issues of environmental and social health need to be carefully considered in the tourism plan of the locality.

With environmental and social health consciously practiced in and around the corners of tourist towns, tourism would be more development and people-friendly, and on the process means more income for the community.

Signs of a faster growth in tourism showed it was up in the early 1990’s as compared to the turbulent years of the 1980s. About 1.2 million tourists visited the Philippines in 1992, which was a record high in the number of tourist visits since 1989, DOT records have bared.