Thursday, July 30, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
THE Department of Transportation and Communications in coordination with the Department of Tourism, announced that they had given the go-signal for the immediate upgrading of the Caticlan airport, considered as the gateway to the internationally renowned Boracay island.
Transportation and Communications spokesperson Thompson Lantion said this would help further boost tourism in the Philippines, considered as one of the backbones in helping pump the economy.
“We have to prepare for the respective seasons and to keep the country and Boracay attractive and lure more tourists,” he said.
Lantion said that they hope to open a “new, better and bigger” Caticlan airport in September, which can accept bigger aircrafts.
He added that September is usually the start of the peak season for tourists for the Philippines.
In line with this, a non-government organization urged the government’s education leaders to seriously consider including tourism subjects to elementary and high-school students.
Robert Lim Joseph chairman emeritus of the National Association of Travel Agencies (NAITAS) said that if students especially in Mindanao will be taught proper tourism at an early age, then the idea of spurring economic growth through the sector is not far behind.
And with young minds and graduates looking at the prospect of tourism, it can transform Mindanao from a war-torn region to a new tourism hub.
Joseph said Mindanao has a rich history and culture which can be top tourist attractions in themselves, in addition to the many scenic places like lakes and waterfalls in the central part and beautiful beaches in the southern portion which can rival those in nearby countries.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano in a separate statement said the Caticlan International Airport Development Corp. (CIADC), a private consortium, has been granted the 25-year airport upgrade project that starts this month.
The upgrade, prompted by a series of minor plane mishaps this year, will start with the contouring of a bordering hill to lengthen the runway. Durano said this part of the project would be finished by September, just as the tourist traffic starts to get heavy.
--Francis Earl A. Cueto
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