Whale shark watching now limited to 800 visitors a day
Stakeholders agree to lower allowable number of tourists in the whale shark area per day for sustainability
The Oslob Municipal Government and a people’s organization have agreed to lower the allowable number of people visiting the famous whale shark watching site in Barangay Tan-awan from 1,000 to 800 visitors per day.
Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale announced this a day after consultations with various sectors last Monday on how to improve the whale shark watching activity in Oslob.
But while the town and the Tan-awan Oslob Sea Warden and Fishermen Association (TOSFA) agreed to put a carrying capacity on the whale shark watching activity, they are also seeking to increase their fees for visitors going there.
Magpale, however, urged them to improve their services first, such as putting up more comfort rooms, before increasing their fees.
Tourism stakeholders welcome the proposal to limit Oslob’s carrying capacity.
Aside from lowering the number of visitors, various sectors including tour groups have agreed to come up with a “centralized reservation mechanism” that will give particular slots to tour groups who want to visit the whale sharks.
They’ve agreed that out of the 800 agreed visitors allowance, 600 will be shared among tour groups and 200 for the local government units (LGU), Magpale said.
Magpale said that with fewer people allowed to swim or watch the whale sharks, the time allotted for them can now be extended to an hour rather than the usual 30 minutes.
Magpale said they will be meeting again with concerned stakeholders to formalize all agreements.
The vice governor, who chairs the Provincial Tourism Commission, said there is a need to make the whale watching ventures in Oslob more sustainable in light of Boracay Island’s closure.
“Dili unta ta maghuwat nga muingon ang Presidente nga mag-focus sila sa Oslob next kung mu-reopen na ang Boracay (Let’s not wait for President Duterte to say we’ll focus on Oslob after Boracay),” Magpale added.
For some members of the private sector, putting up a carrying capacity for Oslob’s whale shark watching activities is laudable.
“I think that’s encouraging to see the LGUs taking a more responsible approach to protecting their most valuable resource. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a more responsible, more regulated and systematic method of witnessing the whale sharks in their natural habitat,” said tourism advocate Jonathan Jay Aldeguer.
Cebu Business Club president Gordon Alan Joseph, however, said he is not sure if the planned carrying capacity of 800 is the right number for sustainability. He noted it should be based on the recommendations of environmental experts.
“I think we all know that the number of tourists and establishments is reaching levels of unsustainability. I do hope that Oslob understands that by allowing uncontrolled tourist access, they take the risk of losing this precious resource forever,” he said.
Joseph said that the Oslob LGU needs to look at environmental issues like sewage which ultimately seeps into the ocean and poisons the seas.