Dumaguete City Tourism Officer Woodrow Maquiling Jr. is the first Negrense to be elected as regional president of the Central Visayas Tourism Officers Association.
Maquiling Jr. was also selected to share the Dumaguete experience on best practices during the DOT Regional Tourism Officers Forum attended by over 80 tourism officers across the four provinces in Region 7.
Landmark program of the City Tourism is the localization of Republic Act 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009, with the passage of City Ordinance No. 49 on the implementation of the Mandatory Accreditation of Primary Tourism Enterprises Operating in the City.
According to Maquiling, 2013 was a productive year for Dumaguete, with arrivals of 393, 718 local and foreign tourists, or a growth rate of 84 percent from 2012 figures.
“As Dumaguete continues to be a popular destination for tourists in Central Visayas, the City now ranks third among the Top Local Government Unit destinations, after Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City,” Maquiling noted.
In an article published in Yahoo! Finance, Dumaguete was also ranked fourth as “Most Affordable Place to Retire in the World”.
The other officers of the Central Visayas Tourism Officers Association: vice-president for Bohol, Ardissa Estavilla from Catigbian; vice-president for Cebu, Jocelyn Tan from Bogo City; vice-president for Negros Oriental, Eliseo Manlangit from Bayawan City; vice-president for Siquijor, Josette Armirola; secretary, Grace Paulino from Cebu; treasurer, Hembler Mendoza from Lapu-Lapu City; auditor, Myla Mae Abellana from Negros Oriental.
The election was facilitated by DOT Regional Director Rowena Lu Montecillo, who also committed her unwavering support and resources for CVTOA to fully implement the National Tourism Development Plan in the Region. (Brandon Canonizado, SU Masscom intern)
