ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/2 March) – The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the city government of Zamboanga have identified six areas for promotion as adventure tourism sites.
These are Nancy falls in Barangay La Paz; Busay falls in Barangay San Roque in the city’s west coast; Salaan cave, Barangay Salaan; Victoria cave, Barangay Victoria; Dulian waterfalls, Barangay Dulian-Upper Bunguiao; and Merloquet falls, Barangay Sibulao in the east coast.
Marilou Silorio, DOT senior tourism officer, said they will conduct assessment to determine what infrastructure support are needed for the development and promotion of the places for adventure tourism.
Silorio stressed that the infrastructure support that will be poured in is one that would not lessen the sites’ scenery for adventure tourism.
She said that the Dulian and Merloquet waterfalls, as well as the Salaan cave, were recently visited by the Zamboanga Adventure Tourism and Eco-Recreation Society (ZATERS). ZATERS is a multi-sectoral group working hand-in-hand to propel adventure tourism here.
Its membership is composed of government information officers and employees, local tri-media, youth, private organizations, business sector and private individuals.
The DOT is focusing on the promotion of adventure tourism to attract foreign and domestic tourists to visit not just the urban centers but the outskirts as well. It is also aimed to generate employment for local residents, Silorio said.
Adventure tourism involves exploration of or travel to remote areas and is rapidly growing in popularity, Silorio explained. (MindaNews)