GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 29 Oct) – In a bid to enhance the city’s tourism development and promotion initiatives, the city government is requiring tourism establishments in the area to submit regular monthly reports on visitor or tourist statistics and other related data.
Such move, which covers all government and private tourism-related establishments within the city, was based on an ordinance passed on Tuesday by the city council here.
City Councilor Shandee Theresa Llido, chair of the council’s committee on tourism, said the measure mainly requires local tourism establishments to regularly monitor and report all data on tourist statistics to the tourism division of the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office (CEMCDO).
She said it specifically covers all tourism accommodation establishments such as beaches, mountain resorts as well as theme and leisure parks.
It also includes government and private establishments catering to day tourists such as museums, convention centers, sports centers, recreational centers and facilities, and travel agency operators.
“The reports will serve as one of the requirements for the renewal of business permits of these establishments,” she said.
Under the ordinance, tourism establishments are required to submit their monthly reports not later than the fifth day of the month.
Establishments that would fail to comply with the ordinance will be slapped with a fine of P3,000 for the first offense as well as P5,000 and suspension of business permit for three months for the second offense.
It designated the CEMCDO, specifically its tourism division, as the “chief enforcer” of the ordinance.
Llido said they pushed for the passage of the measure to generate tourist arrival data that showcases the actual tourism situation of the city.
The accumulated statistics or data will help the local government properly determine the economic impact and viability of tourism events, celebrations and activities that support the economic development programs of the city, she said.
Llido said it will provide the city government with an accurate database that will support research proposals on tourism development projects and related special studies that would facilitate access to possible funding assistance.
Llido added that the availability of such data will help enhance the implementation of the city’s tourism programs, especially trainings and seminars for frontline tourism workers.