PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – A tourism capacity building workshop was held here Friday to familiarize Palaweño travel and tour operators about the Korean travel market and understanding “fair and sustainable tourism.”
With the theme “Discovering Palawan as an Attractive Natural Heritage Destination,” the workshop was in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN), local governments, and stakeholders.
ASEAN Korea Centre Secretary General Lee Hyuk said the goal of the capacity building workshop is based on the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s Tourism Strategy 2015-2025, which states that “human resources development is central to enhancing tourism competitiveness.”
“ASEAN Korea Centre has been conducting tourism capacity building workshop since 2009 to be of some help in enhancing the capabilities of tourism professionals all over ASEAN and deepening their understanding of Korean tourism,” Lee said.
The workshop, he said, is focused on the sustainable preservation and conservation of Palawan’s amazing natural heritage sites to promote them as attractive destinations for tourism and learning about Koreans.
These sites in the province are the Underground River at the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) at Sitio Sabang, Brgy. Cabayugan, and the Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (TRNP) in Cagayancillo municipality.
Lee said tourism is becoming an increasingly important and vibrant industry in the Philippines, which accounts for more than 21 percent of the gross net domestic product.
Furthermore, the country has long enjoyed the title of being one of the most favorite tourism destinations of Koreans, which has been increasing every year.
He said “it amounted to 1.6 million visitors or one fourth of the total number of international travelers” to the Philippines.
In Palawan, Korean travelers have numbered to 20,000 to date out of 550,000, which he thinks is still “too few.”
“With the exceptional beauty and hospitality of the Palaweños, I think… I strongly believe that Palawan has a great potential as one of the most favored tourism destinations not only for Koreans but also for all international travelers,” he said.
The tourism capacity building program, Lee added, is their help to increase Palawan’s competitiveness in the international tourism industry, emphasizing the importance of its attractive natural heritage destinations.
“At the end of the workshop, you will gain useful information and knowledge about Korean travelers. You will be given insights on how you can promote your province as a tourism destination such as about Korean tourism market trends, business opportunities, and strategic partnerships. I hope you take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
He said in addition to capability building workshops, the ASEAN-Korea Centre has been making efforts to strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership between the Philippines and their country.
In October, he said they will be hosting the ASEAN-Korea Tourism Development Workshop on Sustainable Tourism for Natural Heritage Destinations in Jeju Island with 10 ASEAN countries.
He said Elizabeth Maclang, park supervisor of the PPSRNP, has been invited to be one of the presenters.
Maclang’s presentation will be about “The Sustainable Tourism Development: Using and Preserving UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Natural Heritage.”
She said her talk will benefit the PPUR and Palawan province because of the wide scope of the audience from different countries.
“This overwhelming on my part and the PPUR management because it is encouraging that our efforts have been recognized to represent the country. We will not be recommended if they didn’t know what we’re doing for the sustainable preservation of the underground river as a World Heritage Site,” she said.
Meanwhile, Kang Mi Hee, director of the Asia Pacific Global Sustainable Tourism Council, said “sustainable tourism” for national heritage sites matters because “unchecked tourism growth can lead to negative impacts, such as loss of local identity and values through commodification of cultures and unwanted changes to meet tourist demands.”
Natural heritage sites to Korean travelers are interesting due to the preservation of the oddity of culture and their outstanding universal value.
Kang said tourism should not be treated as a “mere commodity” if the locality wants it to contribute to economic development.
Among the negative impacts of tourism that should be watched out for is the exhaustion of resources, pollution (on land and in water), and physical impacts that can degrade the ecosystem in the name of infrastructure development.
She said Palawan should manage “standards for sustainable tourism” by having a set of criteria that would be complied with by hotels and tour operators, and as a destination. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
