Thursday, March 11, 2010 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
By Lydia C. Pendon
ROXAS CITY – Capiz, a province in Panay Island, is emerging to be the next ecotourism hub in Visayas, Governor Victor Tanco said Thursday during the opening rite of the One Visayas summit here.
Tanco said several tourism investment opportunities and business locators are eyeing the province for its beautiful environment.
The governor said the province before “sourly lacks hotels, restaurants, natural and man-made tourist destinations, resorts and infrastructures.”
But when he took over in 2007, he said, tourism has been included as the centerpiece of his administration’s development thrusts of the province vying to be included in the tourism map of the Philippines.
Capiz slowly progressed and in fact the province has many new hotels and pension houses, specialty restaurants and resorts to be proud of in drawing visitors and tourists to the area, Tanco said.
“Capiz is now ready for big things,” he said adding that the province has the facilities and sea water resources to accommodate tourists.
Among the big things that Tanco said include the International Dance Festival slated on March 15 in this city.
The province is also hosting the first Health Centrum worth some P600 million to be built in this city near the College of St. John as an answer to the needs of medical tourism.
A groundbreaking was held three months ago and the construction of the health building is slated to be completed before the end of this year.
The Health Centrum will house a hospital, condotel complete with restaurants, sports facilities, and other amenities needed by retirees, senior citizens, and local and foreign tourists.
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