Ercel Maandig/Philippine News Agency
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Dubbed as the “island born of fire” because of its active volcanoes, the province of Camiguin is holding the first Dive Festival from June 23 to August 31 that aims to take the island’s sustainable tourism drive to new depths.
Department of Tourism (DoT) Region 10 Regional Director May Salvana Unchuan said the event pioneered the region’s campaign on responsible diving and tourism by involving dive tourists in solid waste management and preservation and protection of natural resources, especially underwater habitat.
Tourism Officer Candice Dael said Saturday the two-month festival features underwater photography competition, dive classes and tutorials, and fora on ecotourism sustainability.
“We are spearheading this activity aiming to promote the island’s rich, unique, diverse and pristine dive sites. This is in line with our vision in developing Camiguin that meets global standards of sustainable and responsible tourism,” Camiguin Governor Maria Luisa Romualdo said.
Romualdo said the festival highlights the province’s renewed push for tourism development focusing on four major themes: volcano tourism, heritage tourism, farm and ecotourism, and dive tourism.
The National Heritage Commission recently declared three sites in Camiguin as National Cultural Treasures — the Bonbon Church Ruins, Sunken Cemetery, and Moro Watch Tower.
Meanwhile, Dael said top officials of the province of Camiguin and Department of Tourism Region 10, national celebrity divers, dive bloggers, and green influencers are invited to grace the festival launch at Lagundi Beach in the province’s capital town of Mambajao on Sunday.
“We can show you the world of underwater; shining, shimmering, splendid and we want you to capture, experience and feel Camiguin,” Mambajao Mayor Jurdin Jesus “JJ” Romualdo who will assume as the new Governor on July 1.The Dive Festival is one of the several major activities slated this year under the province’s dive tourism program, Dael added.
