SABANGAN, Mountain Province – The municipal government is currently validating its existing and potential tourist spots as a basis for the crafting of the town’s comprehensive tourism master plan that will provide foreign and domestic visitors with alternative destinations when spending a break in the province and other parts of the Cordillera.
Mayor Marcial Lawilao, Jr. said tourism is one of the economic drivers of the municipality considering the presence of scenic tourist spots that could spur economic activities for livelihoods in the different barangays where the existing and potential tourist spots are located.
“We hope to complete the ongoing validation of our existing and potential tourist spots to help us prepare our short, medium and long-term tourism master development plans after which we can work on the aggressive promotion of our municipality as one of the alternative tourist destination for our visitors wanting to visit other beautiful spots around the province in the region,” Mayor Lawilao stressed.
Sabangan is strategically located between Bauko and Sagada towns, two of the premier ecotourist destinations in the province, hosting Mount Kalawitan and other nature destinations worthy of visits by foreign and domestic tourists wanting to explore the beauty of the province and the Cordillera as a whole.
The municipal chief executive admitted the difficult phase of starting initiatives in advancing the growth and development of the municipality thus appropriate consultations are being done with concerned sectors to guide the municipal government in its priority programs, projects and activities that will spur the town’s economic growth.
According to him, maximizing ecotourism as one of the town’s economic driver will also contribute in overall efforts of concerned government agencies and local governments to preserve and protect the environment so that the town’s present and future generations will be able to enjoy the fruits of a well preserved nature.
He asserted the present generation must be responsible in preserving and protecting the environment as it is the major source of economic activities and sources of livelihood of the people.
Lawilao claimed the municipal government’s comprehensive tourism program must be aligned within the overall programs of concerned government agencies to promote unique tourist destinations to share to the increasing number of domestic and foreign visitors wanting to explore other worthy places to visit in the different parts of the country.
With ecotourism as its guidepost in crafting the town’s tourism master plan, Lawilao stated that it will be inherent upon people in the villages to sustain their age-old traditions in preserving and protecting nature for the benefit of the present and future generations of people wanting to live in the municipality.
By HENT
