The Department of Tourism (DOT) has unveiled an inter-regional tourism recovery plan for MIMAROPA region and parts of Bicol and Calabarzon.
Called “Center for F.U.N. Tourism Circuit”, the inter-regional tourism circuit is currently in the works and it will focus on farm, food, and faith tourism products as key parts of the strategy to re-start the tourism industry in the region, according to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat.
The tourism chief recently met with local leaders and other stakeholders in Marinduque province to prepare the province for safe reopening for leisure travel.
The “Center for F.U.N. Tourism Circuit” will include Marinduque along with Quezon and Laguna in CALABARZON and Albay in the Bicol region, according to Puyat.
The island-province of Marinduque, known for its popular Moriones festival, boasts of rich cultural and heritage tourism products.
Puyat also announced that the first regional farm tourism association in the Philippines, the MIMAROPA Farm Tourism Association (MFTA), is in the pipeline for SEC Registration.
The initiative will strengthen the farm tourism network in the region, and address the concerns of stakeholders in food security and farm tourism development.
The DOT is also currently developing an intra-regional tourism circuit for diving and marine sports tourism in the region.
In October last year, an exploratory dive assessment was conducted in Marinduque’s Tres Reyes Island, a popular dive spot where the wreckage of sunken Chinese merchant vessels can be found.
“As the results of our most recent travel survey have confirmed, the needs and expectations of tourists have evolved because of the pandemic. To address this, the DOT has been redeveloping tourism products and seeking out new experiences for travelers to enjoy in the new normal,” Puyat said.
