Four officials as delegates from Negros Oriental joined the “National Conference on Tourism Plus Arts” held Jan 31 to Feb. 2 in Capiz.
Dumaguete City Tourism Officer Woodrow Maquiling Jr.; Board Members Mariant Escano-Villegas (2nd District), Jessica Villanueva (1st District); and Prof. Diomar Abrio, cultural officer of Silliman University, represented the Province in the conference spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture & the Arts, and the Department of Tourism.
“The Capiz experience is a concrete example of advancing resiliency in the tourism sector despite natural calamities by way of valuing the contributions and giving due importance of arts and heritage of their community” Maquiling explained.
The national tourism event with the theme “Advancing Resiliency in the Tourism Sector through the Arts” was part of the launching of the 2014 Philippine International Arts Festival with the end view of locating and appreciating the contributions of the Arts and Heritage in the Tourism Value Chain.
The conference intends to gather participants from across the country, from the ranks of Tourism Officers and Stakeholders who will be enabled to explore and/or expand their proven local tourism program strategies toward a more productive and vibrant local tourism industry with greater resiliency.
Moreover, aside from witnessing the Grand Festival launch, the three-day event also featured lectures and discussions, community exposure trips, exhibits, performance concerts and creative interactions which were designed to enhance strategic thinking and expand horizontal network support.
Maquiling said that sometimes we neglect our own cultural heritage “when in fact the same can be harnessed to its full tourism potential — and this is what we want to reinforce in the province.”
Sayaw Pinoy 2014 was held simultaneously with the conference, both in observance with PIAF. It is an annual national dance exchange program by NCCA. (Emaleen Franz Maputi)
