DOT 4A honors tourism champions
Tourism icons of the Southern Tagalog region, outstanding tourism officers and tourist destinations were feted at the 4th CALABARZON Tourism Summit spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region IV-A at The Bellevue Manila.
Quezon and Laguna took home the Destinations of the Year awards, registering 6.6 million same-day tourists and 1.22 million overnight visitors for 2016, respectively.
“We extend our sincerest congratulations to Quezon Gov. David Suarez and Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez and all awardees of the CALABARZON Tourism Summit. May we continue to work hand in hand in utilizing the full potential of our region,” said Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo.
DOT Region IV-A Regional Director Rebecca VillanuevaLabit expects around 20 per cent increase to the 26 million same-day tourists they had in 2016 and at least 20 to 25 per cent increase for overnight visitors of 4.5 million last year.
Other accolades include the Pillars of Tourism Award for Taal Vista Hotel, Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort, Enchanted Kingdom and Costales Nature Farms; the Director’s Award for the Association of Travel and Tour Agencies in CALABARZON Region, Terra Verde Ecofarm and Resort, Nurture Wellness Village and the Tagaytay Tourism Council.
Hotels, resorts, provincial, city and municipal tourism officers, media partners and other tourism supporters were also honored at the summit.
One of the highlights of the summit was the launching of Bring Home A Friend (BHAF) campaign in the CALABARZON region.
“Invite your friends to visit the country and take the first trip to CALABARZON. Bring them over to see what the region has to offer, Teo invites.
The campaign encourages all Filipinos and expatriates to invite foreigners to the country by giving them chances to win raffle prizes, including a Megaworld Eastwood Le Grand condominium unit, a brand new Toyota Vios and P200,000 gift certificate from Duty Free Philippines.