The Cordillera office of the Department of Tourism (DOT-CAR) recently launched the 2023 Search for the Best Cordillera Tourism Village to boost the growth of the region’s tourism industry and provide added attractions for foreign and domestic visitors.
The DOT-CAR explained that tourism villages are rural tourism destinations with recognized cultural and natural assets that preserve and promote rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and have a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects such as economic, social and environmental.
Further, community-based tourism is a means of empowering communities to manage tourism growth and achieve community aspirations relating to their wellbeing.
It is also a concept of developing a tourist destination through empowering local communities, where the community contributes in planning, managing and delivering opinions.
Among the objectives of the said search include to recognize the important role of tourism villages towards ushering in a more sustainable, responsible, equitable and participatory rural tourism development; provide incentives to tourism villages that are embracing sustainable tourism and are providing opportunities for sustainable development; promote responsible tourism as a strategy for environmentally sound and community participatory tourism programs, enlisting the participation of local communities, including indigenous peoples and maintain international standards of excellence in community-based tourism facilities and services in the Cordillera, and promote the region as a safe and wholesome tourist destination.
The deadline of submission of entries for the Search for the Best Cordillera Tourism Village will be on September 5, 2023 and it is open to existing and emerging, community-led tourism villages in the region.
Applicants that have previously joined the competition in 2022 and have not fully completed their projects and liquidated their prize money are disqualified from joining or applying for the 2023 search.
The criteria for the selection of this year’s Best Tourism Village include sustainable management – 25 percent; cultural sustainability – 25 percent; socio-economic and rural economic development sustainability – 25 percent and environmental sustainability – 25 percent.
The adjudged Best Cordillera Tourism Village will be receiving a cash prize of P1 million plus trophy and token; the second placer will be receiving P500,000 plus trophy and token while the third placer will be receiving P200,000 plus trophy and token. The three runners-up will be receiving P100,000 each plus certificates and tokens.
The DOT-CAR disclosed that the cash prize received by the awardee from the agency shall be devoted for the improvement of existing tourism village infrastructure; capacity-building of village stakeholders, operators and tourism facility owners; construction of additional infrastructure facilities to support existing tourism-related activities and/or facilities; climate change adaptation and mitigation projects; livelihood projects and other related activities.
According to the agency, the release of the cash prize will be conditioned upon the submission of a local government-endorsed project proposal from the awardee to the DOT-CAR.
The project proposal shall be accompanied by necessary supporting documents to include, but not limited to work plan, cost estimates, feasibility study, among others.
The implementation of the approved project proposal shall commence within 30 days upon receipt by the awardee of the cash prize and during the course of the implementation of the project, representatives from the DOT-CAR and the local government shall conduct regular monitoring activities to ensure compliance with the approved work plan.
