Young Roots
Ecotour Pangasinan!
By Johanne Macob
LAST weekend, my three “sisters” and I spent a two-day-one-night vacation in Bolinao. However, we were not able to pursue our plans to explore ‘the’ Patar Beach, spelunking the caves and experiencing any of the Bolinao Falls. We didn’t even get the chance to cruise one of the cleanest rivers in the country, the Balingasay River. All plans bombed out. Thanks to the rains and winds’ great timing. But, if there’s any consolation to our frustrating trip, the hotel we stayed in, El Pescador, I must say, was very elegant yet homey. It was still a worthwhile trip after all.
During our stay in that lovely hotel, a realization struck me, us. Tourism, at least in Bolinao, is a seasonal business. Given the fact that Bolinao’s main tourism treasure is its calm beach, it’s ironic that strong rains and storms pose serious threats to the industry. This led us to thinking about the concerns of small businesses like those selling souvenirs, renting out cottages and boats, among others. We supposed the municipal government and the small and medium entrepreneurs, themselves, have thought through ways to address the issue. Meanwhile, us, tourists, can also do our part.
This made me remember my paper proposal in one of my devcom subjects which I would like to share. My proposal titled “Ecotour Pangasinan: Sustainability Meets Fun” put forward a sustainable ecotourism program in the province. Note, the International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “an effective vehicle for empowering local communities around the world to fight against poverty and to achieve sustainable development” by perking up local capacity building and employment opportunities. As I understood it, it’s a tourism activity that primarily caters to the welfare of locals, meaning a program that centers on activities that will benefit the natives of the place, foremost. Activities such as tree planting with hiking, cleanup alongside beach hopping, and learning while sharing with the community, among others are what constitute ecotourism. Indeed, so why not have a tour package that consists of tree-planting, cleanups, and sharing and learning knowledge with the community. These do not only pose short-term but long-term benefits.
The situation in Bolinao during stormy weather is a manifestation of a “down time” for tourism business. I believe if our travel and tour companies, tourism offices, and everyone concerned promote ecotourism packages, then negative effects of the “down time” can be minimized. Trees and cleanups will help in flood control, and other environmental concerns; and the exchange of knowledge between tourists and locals are potential generator of creative ideas, like how the tourism industry can be sustained. These will surely help the locals keep their employment or other tourism-related opportunities.
But whatever ideas there may be, the point is something has to be done to sustain efforts to promote our tourism industry – our environment and our people. Sustainable tourism is everyone’s concern. Let’s not just tour, let’s ecotour!
(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)
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