The Local Economic Development project under the Local Governance Support Program of the Department of Interior & Local Government was successfully implemented in the Province with the support of the private sector led by the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Negros Oriental Investment Promotion Center. The DILG project is funded by the government of Canada.
The local tourism players and sector associations included the Negros Oriental Association of Travel & Tour Agencies, the Association of Travel & Tours in Negros, the Negros Oriental Hotels, Resorts & Restaurants Association, the Negros Dive Association, the MED Transportation Co., the Sidlakang Negros Association of Tourism Officers, the Negros Oriental Tour Guides Association, Tourism Educators Council of Negros Oriental & Siquijor, the Negros Oriental Tourism Culture & Arts Foundation, and the Friends of the Environment of Negros Oriental. Representatives from these tourism sector associations converged and shared their insights and expertise in various tourism workshops and seminars initiated by LGSP-LED, meant to increase the competitiveness of the Negros Oriental tourism circuit.
The LED project implemented a joint local government unit-private sector initiative for tourism development covering sites like the Dauin-Dumaguete-Manjuyod-Tanjay-Bais (DaDMTB) Circuit. This involved the development of a distinct tourism destination brand, and representative tour packages for the circuit. The itineraries define the priority places for investment promotion, product development, and tourism workforce development.
The initiative has strengthened the leadership roles of the private sector associations in the planning and implementation of LED initiatives in the Province. Three private sector institutions have emerged key champions for LED and tourism in the Province: the NOCCI, the NOIPC, and the NOATTA.
NOCCI, together with NOIPC, also demonstrated their capacity to support the investment promotion initiatives of the Province, as well as the local government units in the Circuit. With NOCCI as the partner, the LED project engaged in investment servicing, networking with other local and national agencies, capacity development trainings for the LEIPOs and the LED actors, and marketing and promotions services.
NOCCI and NOIPC provided coaching and technical advise to investment teams in the preparation of LGU investment profiles and investment briefs, as well as organization of business-matching activities in Dumaguete City. These included the Visayas Area Business Conference in July 2015, and the International Business Exchange in November 2015 done with delegates from Alameda City, California, USA, and Yeongdong, South Korea.
NOATTA was the lead partner of the Provincial Tourism Office in organizing the Local Project activities that led to the development of a new destination brand for Negros Oriental, as well as new tour packages for the DaDMTB Circuit. The stakeholder-driven activity, facilitated by the branding consultant from the Foundation for Communication Initiatives, produced an initial design for a logo, with the tagline “Negros Oriental. This is where you want to live”. (John Jalandoni/NOCCI)
