The town of Matag-ob in Leyte (Philippines) is taking steps to attract more tourists to the area by building roads leading to key destinations, including the popular Bondari Peak mountain range and the caves in the villages of San Vicente and Bulak.
The move is part of an effort to encourage tourists visiting nearby Kalanggaman Island to explore other nearby sites in Leyte. Last year, 3,954 tourists flocked to the popular destination island.
“We have created alliance with other towns to encourage guests in Kalanggaman to visit other nearby sites in northwest Leyte,” Mayor Bernie Tacoy told local news in an interview earlier this week.
“We want tourists, especially those coming from Luzon to make their travels more worthwhile by visiting other destinations,” he added.
According to the report, the town is planning to open a road from the town of Palompon to Masaba Waterfalls in Matag-ob (near Bondari Peak). Another idea is to develop the access road to the 37 caves in San Vicente and Bulak villages.
To work towards the road projects, the town will need at least P200 million (about US$3,667,470 per the current exchange rate), per the report.
For business owners in the area that are contributing to the outdoor recreation economy, this presents an opportunity to leverage the growing tourism in the region to attract more visitors to their businesses.
Bondari Peak, in particular, is a popular destination for outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, biking, and motocross competitions, and entrepreneurs in the area could benefit from increased visitors to the peak.
Mayor Tacoy, in the interview, said that money generated from tourism activities will raise the income of the local government.