Albay posts 41% tourism hike

A total of 121,867 tourists arrived in Albay in the first quarter this year, up 40.86 percent from 86,518 in the same period last year, according to the Bicol Regional Development Council (BRDC).

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, also BRDC chairman, attributed the increase to, among others, the province’s proactive disaster risk reduction (DRR) program, most particularly the the Zero casualty goal, which "sends a strong message that Albay is safe for tourists, safe for traders and investors and safe for its own people."

"That is commonsense minimum requirement for a tourist to come," the governor said. The United Nations has declared Albay as its global model in DRR and Climate Change Adaptation.

Salceda said the growth was more pronounced in foreign tourist arrivals with 51,087 in the first quarter of this year, compared to 33,749 in the same period in 2010, an increase of 17,347 arrivals or a notable 51.41 percent hike.

Department of Tourism records show Albay has surpassed its neighboring province of Camarines Sur, which is normally the largest tourist drawer of Bicol Region’s six provinces. The other four are Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and Masbate.

Camarines Sur recorded an increase of 11,609 foreign tourist arrivals for a 16.63 percent growth during the same period. Albay posted a 51.41 percent hike despite its much more limited tourism budget.

Salceda said Albay focused on less pompous but sustained and innovative approaches to tourism promotion, which highlighted its eco-tourism assets and iconic natural endowments, capitalizing on its being a gateway to other Bicol destinations – including Donsol in Sorsogon and the CamSur Watersports Complex, as well as its investment-driven flows, essentially private investments in new capacity and new attractions.

He said Albay also sustained its advertisement placements in significant niches, including magazines read by domestic and foreign tourists; hosted national coferences both by Legazpi City and the Albay Provincial Government; and further drumed up the rising crescendo of the Magayon Festival – Albay’s month-long and foremost tourism festivity which projects the province as a prime tourist haven.

Source: Positive News Media