Tour operators check out W. Visayas destinations

ILOILO CITY—With the closure of Boracay in Aklan, international tour operators are looking at alternative tourist destinations in Western Visayas.

Miag-ao Church, Miag-ao, Iloilo

Helen Catalbas, regional director of Department of Tourism (DOT), said 41 foreign tour managers are in the region for the Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) tour.

“With the support of the local governments and the private sector, we want to further develop and sustain the tourism industry. This tour is one way to gain investments for our region’s tourism industry,” Catalbas said.

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), an attached agency of DOT, has invited tour operators from Bahrain, China, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and Vietnam to visit Guimaras, Iloilo and Negro Occidental provinces.

The operators visited the island province of Guimaras, which is known for its sweet mango as well as pristine beaches and inland resorts.

In Iloilo province, they went to the Miag-ao Church, which is the only World UNESCO Heritage Site in the Visayas. They also toured ancestral houses in Iloilo City, the regional capital of Western Visayas.

In Negros Occidental, they visited mansions and churches in the province which is recognized as the country’s sugar capital.

SOURCE: MANILA BULLETIN

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