UBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines - Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Alberto Lim vowed to give more attention to rural tourist destinations, as local executives and tourism stakeholders around the country conveyed their support to the government's program on community-based tourism to counter poverty in rural areas. Addressing more than 600 governors, mayors, and local tourism officers during the opening of the three-day National Conference on Planning and Developing Community-Based Rural Tourism held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) recently, Lim said that with the support of the local community, community-based rural tourism (CBRT) could be a big boost to local economies. "We are going to build a lot of emphasis on product development in the rural areas where poverty is in the highest (levels)," Lim said. He added that President Aquino is placing tourism on top of his agenda because of the potential of the industry to help reduce poverty.
Lim said that over the years, the DoT has granted some P55 million to about 123 rural communities to help develop and improve indigenous tourism products and facilities, as well as for training on tour and trek guiding, native craft making, and local food catering. The fund was granted through the Grassroots Entrepreneurs Employment and Tourism (GREET) program, which aims to generate employment and livelihood with balanced ecology and environmental protection to promote eco-tourism sites and develop tourism at the community level. Based on the report of the National Statistics Office (NSO), Lim said that although the tourism industry ranks number four as a foreign exchange earner, it is now number one in creating jobs. "
These jobs are jobs in the rural areas, where most of our beautiful attractions can be found," Lim added. The CBRT conference was organized by the Subic-based International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST), in collaboration with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), and the DoT. ISST chairperson and former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor said the conference aimed to enhance the knowledge of local tourism stakeholders on the concept of rural tourism as a strategy to create economic opportunities in the rural areas.
