MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/06 June) – Only two of the 70 hotels, inns and resorts in Bukidnon province have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT), Catalino Chan III, tourism regional director, said.
On Wednesday’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan session, Chan noted that the majority did not pass the accreditation standards set by the DOT such as the necessary fire exits, lack of accessibility for persons with disabilities and standard room floor area, among others.
The two that passed the DOT accreditation are a hotel in this city and a resort in Maramag town, he said.
He cited the “substandard” accommodation facilities as among the reasons why during the Kaamulan, Bukidnon’s annual cultural festival usually attended by thousands of tourists from outside the province, only a few were staying for the night and many just go home.
During the session, Chan stressed the value of tourism and the need to ensure social and political support to the various tourist destinations in the area.
He proposed the accreditation of bed and breakfast or home-stay accommodation arrangements to boost the province’s tourism industry.
Laila Marte, of the Provincial Tourism Office, told MindaNews that one of the problems “is that many of the hotels, inns and resorts do not submit for accreditation.”
She said the DOT uses an international standard for accreditation.
Chan said Bukidnon has a lot of emerging tourist destinations waiting to be developed.
Last September, Maria Elena Manalo, a supervisor at DOT Region 10, cited the substandard quality of amenities and services in local hotels and restaurants as deterrents to attract tourists.
She noted that the quality of amenities and services of hotels and restaurants in Bukidnon have been the bigger problem in attracting tourists to the area.
Manalo urged local hotels and restaurants to improve what they can offer especially in terms of quality of services, cleanliness, hospitality and efficiency.
“Let’s make use of our present resources. Let’s improve on them and let’s flaunt it,” she said. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)