Provincial gov’t to build up northern Iloilo tourism

THE ILOILO provincial government is planning to create a Northern Iloilo Tourism Authority (NITA) to take the lead in developing the islands in the province’s 5th district into tourism sites. “We want to prepare the whole northern Iloilo, especially Concepcion, which has 17 islands while the town of Carles, which has 22 or I think 24, to be real tourist destinations,” said Gov. Arthur D. Defensor Sr. Among the existing tourist destinations in northern Iloilo are Gigantes Island, Sicogon Island, Cabugao Gamay Island, and Pawikan Cave in Carles town; Marbuena Island Resort in Ajuy; Agho Island, Pan de Azucar, and Sandbar Island Beach Resort in Concepcion. However, Mr. Defensor said these sites still lack accommodation facilities. “We are looking at where to place the hotels and facilities — in the mainland or in the islands. Because what some tourists do is to go there for island hopping then go home in the evening,” he said. The governor said they are now looking at the legislative process for creating the NITA. Mr. Defensor will meet with the northern Iloilo municipal mayors to discuss the plans after the scheduled League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Iloilo assembly on April 10-13. In a previous interview, Provincial Tourism Office head Gilbert Marin said the 5th District was the top tourism destination in Iloilo province in 2017, accounting for 40% of the total 310,878 tourist arrivals. —