JORDAN, Guimaras– The province of Guimaras was “overwhelmed” by the surge of tourists following the closure of Boracay Island, said Governor Samuel Gumarin on Friday.
Gumarin said that they almost could not cope with high number of visitors.
However, since the province is “resilient”, proper consultation was undertaken to address the concern, especially that they are also celebrating the Manggahan Festival, he said in an interview.
Liberty Ferrer, tourism officer of the province, said that before when they only have 15 boat trips a day, with the closure of Boracay, the frequency could reach up to 21 trips at Jordan wharf from the Ortiz wharf.
An increase in frequency was also felt at the Buenavista wharf through Parola.
She added that they are coordinating with Barangay Ortiz to ensure the smooth flow of tourist traffic.
The increase can also be felt in terms of overnight stays in hotels, inns and resorts. Stalls selling mangoes as “pasalubong” and other products have mushroomed.
Since the Holy Week’s “Pagtaltal sa Balaan Bukid”, Ferrer said that the number of domestic arrival has not gone down.
The two-day Lent Season in Guimaras gathered around 50,000 tourists.
While they were overwhelmed with the increase, Ferrer said that prior to the closure of Boracay they also met with owners and representatives of accommodation establishments for inventory.
She admitted that there are areas that need to be improved, and the accommodation facilities must “level up”.
“Nevertheless, they are very cooperative when it comes to improvement of Guimaras,” she said. (PNA)
