LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Tourist destinations in the capital town and nearby Itogon have been opened for residents only as part of the efforts of the local governments to allow people to be involved in family bonding and recreational activities in preparation for the possible opening of the municipalities to visitors outside the said areas.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda said that the municipal government opened limited tourist destinations like Mount Costa, Abong ni Romy and Mount Yangbew for the residents to go out of their homes and visit but with strict adherence to the prevailing health and safety protocols to prevent them from contracting the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and transmitting the same to others.
Salda reminded individuals managing the operation of the tourist destinations are required to formulate their own safety protocols to ensure that people visiting the said spots will strictly comply with the mandatory wearing of face masks and shields, and the observance of physical distancing when in the said destinations.
However, he said that residents are still required to register online in the established registration platform before being allowed to visit the limited destinations based on the schedule provided to them
Mayor Salda pointed out that the opening of the limited tourist destinations for residents only is part of the dry run being conducted by the municipal government to ascertain the readiness of the tourism industry stakeholders of the municipality to the opening of sites for domestic visitors.
In the case of the strawberry farm, the municipal chief executive explained that the same will not yet be opened to allow farmers to plant their strawberry runners in time for the strawberry season nearly next year and for the possible conduct of the town’s 2021 Strawberry festival.
For Itogon, Mayor Victorio Palangdan disclosed that the town’s tourist destinations are also open for residents as part of the initiative of the municipal government to assess if tourism industry stakeholders can effectively and efficiently handle the expected influx of visitors when local officials will decide to formally open the sites for visitors.
He said that members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Benguet chapter will be meeting by the end of the month to decide on the possibility of adopting unified guidelines in possibly allowing visitors from Baguio and Region I to enter their areas of jurisdiction to visit the tourist spots that will be initially opened.
Palangdan emphasized that during their meeting with tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, no less than the tourism official declared that visitors wanting to spend a break in Baguio also want to go to the outdoor destinations in Benguet, thus, there should be a close coordination between the tourism officers of both Baguio and Benguet municipalities to ensure the entry of visitors to their desired destinations in the province after having passed the stringent requirements of Baguio. By HENT