ILOILO CITY -- Some 850 tourism officers from the different parts of the country will visit tourism sites in Iloilo City and the island province of Guimaras during their immersion tour on October 5.
The immersion tour, which is slated October 4-7, is among the activities that will highlight the 18th National Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).
Reaching the neighboring island province of Guimaras is what makes this year’s immersion tour different from the rest, Iloilo Provincial Tourism Officer Gilbert Marin said in a press conference Tuesday evening.
Marin said the provincial government of Guimaras prepared two tour packages for delegates to visit beach resorts, windmill in San Lorenzo town and pasalubong centers, among others.
For the tour in Iloilo City, three buses are prepared for the delegates. They will specifically visit establishments at the Iloilo Business Park, famous "pasalubong" (souvenir) centers, Molo Mansion, Iloilo City Hall and museum and galeries within the city.
Meanwhile, Marin said the provincial government has prepared 14 tour packages for the delegates to visit different sites in the five districts of the province.
The different tours will allow the delegates to experience the culture of Ilonggos, experience their festivals through cultural performances and taste Ilonggo cuisines.
The tour packages are categorized based on the available sites in each district.
The delegates will specifically visit heritage places in the southern part of the province (first district) like the famous Miag-ao church and San Joaquin Church.
For the eco-cultural tour, delegates will visit different resorts in the second district of the province. For eco-agri-tour, the delegates will visit rice processing plant, farms, conservation park and other resorts in the third district of the province.
Meanwhile, for the eco-historical-sports tour, the delegates will visit historical and ecological sites in the towns of Duenas, San Enrique, Dingle and City of Passi in the 4th district and waterfalls and resorts in 5th district in the northern part of the province.
Police Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in Western Visayas, assured that policemen are prepared to secure the safety and security of the delegates who will tour around the city and provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras. (PNA)
