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T RULY, to enjoy your vacation you have to enjoy the crowd, the cul- ture of the people and of course, the foods in the area you are visiting. “That is how community-based rural tourism should be,” says former tourism secretary and Subic-based International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) chair- person Mina Gabor. Gabor, in collaboration with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), the Devel- opment Academy of the Philippines (DAP), and the Department of Tourism, recently or- ganized the three-day National Conference on Planning and Developing Community- Based Rural Tourism held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC). Gabor said the conference aimed to en- hance the knowledge of local tourism stake- holders on the concept of rural tourism as a strategy to create economic opportunities in the rural areas. Gabor said the conference identified how to promote and encourage local community support through community-based rural tourism (CBRT) which could be a big boost to local economies. The conference also showcased assort- ment of local food delicacies from different provinces like Morcon and Sisig Pampanga, Lumpia Bacolod and Inasal na Manok, Bag- net Ilocus, Barbacoa and Humba of Visayas and a lot more delectable Filipino food which tourists would surely enjoy. Gabor narrated that in 2007, an icon in information technology took his backpack and went to his home in South Africa and immersed himself in the community, danc- ing and eating with the people. On his return to America he said, “This is the way tourism should be developed to enjoy your travel in different countries.” The man, Gabor continued, was Microsoft founder Bill Gates. During the conference, Tourism Secre- tary Alberto Lim vowed to give more atten- tion to rural tourist destinations, as local ex- ecutives and tourism stakeholders around the country conveyed their support to the government’s program on community- based tourism particularly in rural areas. Addressing more than 600 governors, mayors and local tourism officers Lim said that President Benigno Aquino III is put- ting tourism on top of his agenda because of the potential of the industry to help re- duce poverty. “We are going to build a lot of emphasis on product development in the rural areas where poverty is in the highest (levels),” Lim said. Lim said that over the years, the DoT has granted some P55 million to about 123 rural communities to help develop and im- prove indigenous tourism products and fa- cilities, as well as for trainings on tour and trek guiding, native craft making, and local food catering. The fund was granted through the Grassroots Entrepreneurs Employment and Tourism (GREET) program, which aims to generate employment and livelihood with balanced ecology and environmental pro- tection to promote eco-tourism sites and develop tourism at the community level. Based on the report of the National Statistics Office, Lim said that although the tourism in- dustry ranks number four as foreign exchange earner, it is now number one in creating jobs. “These jobs are jobs in the rural areas, where most of our most beautiful attrac- tions can be found,” Lim added. www.newscentralsite.com FEBRUARY 2011 Subic Central Central News Special Supplement Subic Central ARREZA: ‘A CULTURE OF HONESTY AND EFFICIENCY FOR SUBIC’ Subic confab bares taste of rural tourism Former tourism secretary and Subic-based International School of Sustainable Tourism chairperson Mina Gabor

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www.newscentralsite.com st rateg y to create economic oppor t unit ies in t he r ural areas. Gabor said t he conference ident ified how t hat President Benig no Aquino III is put- t ing tour ism on top of his agenda because of t he potent ial of t he indust r y to help re- duce pover t y. “We are going to build a lot of emphasis ing and eat ing w it h t he people. On his ret ur n to A mer ica he said, “This “That is how communit y-based r ural is t he way tour ism should be developed to

TRANSCRIPT

Tr

uly

, to

en

joy

you

r va

cati

on y

ou

hav

e to

en

joy

the

cro

wd

, th

e cu

l-tu

re o

f th

e p

eop

le a

nd

of c

ours

e, th

e fo

od

s in

th

e ar

ea y

ou a

re v

isit

ing.

“Th

at i

s h

ow

com

mu

nit

y-b

ased

ru

ral

tou

rism

sh

ould

be,

” sa

ys f

orm

er t

ouri

sm

secr

eta

ry a

nd

Su

bic

-bas

ed I

nte

rnat

ion

al

Sch

ool

of S

ust

ain

able

Tou

rism

(IS

ST

) ch

air-

per

son

Min

a G

abor

.

Gab

or,

in c

olla

bor

atio

n w

ith

th

e A

sian

Pr

od

uct

ivit

y O

rgan

izat

ion

(APO

), th

e D

evel

-op

men

t A

cad

emy

of t

he

Phil

ipp

ines

(D

AP)

, an

d th

e D

epar

tmen

t of T

ouri

sm, r

ecen

tly

or-

gan

ized

the

thre

e-d

ay N

atio

nal

Con

fere

nce

on

Pla

nn

ing

and

Dev

elop

ing

Com

mu

nit

y-B

ased

ru

ral

Tou

rism

hel

d a

t th

e Su

bic

Bay

E

xh

ibit

ion

an

d C

onve

nti

on C

ente

r (S

BEC

C).

G

abor

sai

d t

he

con

fere

nce

aim

ed t

o en

-h

ance

the

kn

owle

dge

of l

oca

l tou

rism

sta

ke-

hol

der

s on

th

e co

nce

pt o

f ru

ral t

ouri

sm a

s a

stra

teg

y to

cre

ate

econ

omic

op

por

tun

itie

s in

th

e ru

ral a

reas

.

Gab

or s

aid

the

con

fere

nce

iden

tifi

ed h

ow

to p

rom

ote

and

en

cou

rage

loca

l com

mu

nit

y su

pp

ort

thro

ugh

com

mu

nit

y-b

ased

ru

ral

tou

rism

(C

Br

T) w

hic

h c

ould

be

a b

ig b

oo

st

to lo

cal e

con

omie

s.

T

he

con

fere

nce

als

o sh

ow

case

d a

ssor

t-m

ent o

f lo

cal f

oo

d d

elic

acie

s fr

om d

iffe

ren

t p

rov

ince

s li

ke

Mor

con

an

d S

isig

Pam

pan

ga,

lum

pia

Bac

olo

d a

nd

Inas

al n

a M

anok

, Bag

-n

et Il

ocu

s, B

arb

aco

a an

d H

um

ba

of V

isay

as

and

a lo

t mor

e d

elec

tabl

e Fi

lip

ino

food

wh

ich

to

uri

sts

wou

ld s

ure

ly e

njo

y.

Gab

or n

arra

ted

th

at i

n 2

007,

an

ico

n i

n

info

rmat

ion

tec

hn

olog

y to

ok h

is b

ack

pac

k an

d w

ent

to h

is h

ome

in S

outh

Afr

ica

and

im

mer

sed

him

self

in th

e co

mm

un

ity,

dan

c-in

g an

d e

atin

g w

ith

th

e p

eop

le.

O

n h

is r

etu

rn t

o A

mer

ica

he

said

, “T

his

is

th

e w

ay t

ouri

sm s

hou

ld b

e d

evel

oped

to

enjo

y yo

ur

trav

el i

n d

iffe

ren

t co

un

trie

s.”

Th

e m

an,

Gab

or c

onti

nu

ed,

was

Mic

roso

ft

fou

nd

er B

ill G

ates

.

Du

rin

g th

e co

nfe

ren

ce,

Tou

rism

Sec

re-

tary

Alb

erto

lim

vo

wed

to

giv

e m

ore

atte

n-

tion

to ru

ral t

ouri

st d

esti

nat

ion

s, a

s lo

cal e

x-ec

uti

ves

and

tou

rism

sta

keh

old

ers

arou

nd

th

e co

un

try

con

veye

d t

hei

r su

pp

ort

to t

he

gov

ern

men

t’s

pro

gra

m o

n c

om

mu

nit

y-b

ased

tou

rism

par

ticu

larl

y in

ru

ral a

reas

.

Ad

dre

ssin

g m

ore

than

600

go

vern

ors,

m

ayor

s an

d lo

cal t

ouri

sm o

ffice

rs l

im s

aid

th

at P

resi

den

t B

enig

no

Aq

uin

o II

I is

pu

t-ti

ng

tou

rism

on

top

of

his

age

nd

a b

ecau

se

of t

he

pot

enti

al o

f th

e in

du

stry

to

hel

p r

e-d

uce

po

vert

y.

“W

e ar

e go

ing

to b

uil

d a

lot

of e

mp

has

is

on p

rod

uct

dev

elop

men

t in

th

e ru

ral a

reas

w

her

e p

ove

rty

is i

n t

he

hig

hes

t (l

evel

s),”

li

m s

aid

.

lim

sai

d t

hat

ove

r th

e ye

ars,

th

e D

oT

has

gra

nte

d s

ome

P55

mil

lion

to

abou

t 12

3 ru

ral c

omm

un

itie

s to

hel

p d

evel

op a

nd

im-

pro

ve in

dig

enou

s to

uri

sm p

rod

uct

s an

d fa

-ci

liti

es, a

s w

ell a

s fo

r tr

ain

ings

on

tou

r an

d

trek

gu

idin

g, n

ativ

e cr

aft m

akin

g, a

nd

loca

l fo

od

cat

erin

g.

T

he

fun

d w

as

gra

nte

d t

hro

ug

h t

he

Gra

ssro

ots

Entr

epre

neu

rs E

mp

loy

men

t an

d

Tou

rism

(G

rEE

T)

pro

gra

m,

wh

ich

aim

s to

ge

ner

ate

emp

loy

men

t an

d l

ivel

iho

od

wit

h

bal

ance

d e

colo

gy

and

en

vir

onm

enta

l p

ro-

tect

ion

to

pro

mot

e ec

o-t

ouri

sm s

ites

an

d

dev

elop

tou

rism

at

the

com

mu

nit

y le

vel.

Base

d on

the

rep

ort o

f th

e N

atio

nal

Sta

tist

ics

Offi

ce, l

im s

aid

that

alt

hou

gh t

he

tou

rism

in-

dust

ry ra

nks

nu

mbe

r fou

r as

fore

ign

exc

han

ge

earn

er, i

t is

now

nu

mbe

r on

e in

cre

atin

g jo

bs.

“T

hes

e jo

bs

are

job

s in

th

e ru

ral

area

s,

wh

ere

mo

st o

f ou

r m

ost

bea

uti

ful

attr

ac-

tion

s ca

n b

e fo

un

d,”

lim

ad

ded

.

ww

w.n

ewsc

entr

als

ite.

com

feb

ru

ary

2011

Subic

Cen

tral

Cen

tral

New

sSpec

ial

Su

pple

men

t

Subic

Cen

tral

Arr

ezA

: ‘A

cu

ltu

re

of

ho

nes

ty

An

d

effi

cie

nc

y f

or

subi

c’

subi

c co

nfa

b ba

res

tast

e of

ru

ral t

ouri

sm

Form

er t

ouri

sm s

ecre

tary

an

d Su

bic-

base

d In

tern

atio

nal

Sch

ool

of S

ust

ain

able

T

ouri

sm c

hai

rper

son

Min

a G

abor