Problem on insurgency makes it hard to promote Samar Island

TACLOBAN CITY – Regional Development Council Chairman and Leyte Governor Jericho “Icot” Petilla urges officials, private entities and people in the region to work together in order to promote Eastern Visayas as among the top destinations for tourism.

Petilla, in an interview, stressed that tourism promotion needs participation of all stakeholders in the society particularly in putting facilities that will address the needs of visiting tourists and to make a good whole-year round tourism promotional campaign and program.

“We need to put first things first, we need to address what tourists are looking for,” Petilla said.

Among these, according to him, are good accommodation facility, best food and good scenery.

In the region, Petilla said that the best place to send tourists is Samar Island. However, the local government units in the three provinces of Samar are currently facing problem on how to address the insurgency situation in their respective areas, which greatly affect tourism promotion.

Samar provinces have abundant beautiful sceneries that can attract local and foreign tourists, among these sceneries are beaches and seawater that are good in activities such as snorkeling, diving and surfing; islets and islands, caves, historical sites and religious sites.

The presence of insurgents in Samar had a great effect in the promotional campaign to boost tourism activities in the said island, which some national officials and even high ranking military officials had dubbed Samar as a good haven for tourists, once said problem is address.

Petilla said that he had been busy on promoting and inviting investors to visit and invest in Leyte. He added that aside from taking investors to visit the province, he also promotes the nearby island of Samar.

Petilla added that in order for tourism activities to flourish, local government units must actively participate in its promotion.

“LGUs need to realize and let them be involved in tourism promotion as there is business in tourism that will help boost not just their local economy but including the regional and national economy,” he stressed.