More tourism roads lead to booming tourism industry

The Department of Tourism-Department of Public Works and Highways (DOT-DPWH) Convergence Program on Tourism Road Infrastructure Projects (TRIP) will conduct a Regional Consultative Workshop to present its 2018 accomplishments and updates on pending/upcoming projects.
Moreover, the improved Tourism Road Infrastructure Project Prioritization Criteria (TRIPPC) Guidelines and indicative steps for submission of required documents will be discussed during the workshop.

DOT Region VI Director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas said the project proposals previously submitted and were not considered in Fiscal Year 2019 will be reassessed and revalidated for possible consideration under the FY 2020 listing.

“In 2018, 79 of the 168 proposed tourism road projects in Western Visayas were included in the GAA amounting to P2.48-billion. These road projects made more tourism destinations accessible to tourists and provided livelihood in the community as tourism facilities begin to emerge with the influx of tourists”, Director Catalbas said.

Director Catalbas explained strong road networks often lead to better economy as investments continues to pour and micro, small and medium enterprises emerge. She added roads also connect people, culture, heritage and traditions.

“Air, land and sea connectivity is one of the competitive advantages of Western Visayas. Its strengthened linkage to more major hubs in the Philippines, made Western Visayas accessible to more domestic and foreign tourists with 5.8-million tourists visiting the region in 2017 spending more than 128.45-billion pesos in tourism facilities and products”, Director Catalbas declared.

For 2019, there are 142 proposed road projects from the different legislative districts of Western Visayas.