Remollo Seeks Support to 1st Sports Tourism Forum

Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Remollo encourages local stakeholders here to support the first Sports Tourism Forum to be held in this city on February 1.

Speaking in a Kapihan sa PIA forum today, Mayor Remollo endorsed the Sports Tourism Forum to heads of sports associations, sports coordinators and members of the local media and said the activity would help put Dumaguete City and the province of Negros Oriental in the map of the sporting world.

The Sports Tourism Forum, an event organized by a private firm Selrahco, aims to engage representatives from different local government units concerning the sports, tourism and education sectors, local sports associations, schools and private companies with top caliber resource speakers to discuss inputs to enhance sports event organizing, marketing and media exposure to boost the province’s capability to host big sports events and develop Negros Oriental as top destination for sports activities.

Selrahco President Charles Lim cited diving as a sport which stakeholders in sports and tourism can develop as primary product in sports tourism.

“Diving is such a big thing in this part of the world. You talk to any dive associations outside the Philippines they will tell you this is one of the best dive sports we have in the region and divers from all over the world are coming here,” Lim said.

The conduct of the Sports Forum in Dumaguete City is in line with its thrust of the city government in strengthening sports and tourism programs. Remollo believes Dumaguete City can start positioning itself in sports tourism as it already has the existing facilities and areas for various sports activities.

Remollo also shared that the Twin Lakes in Sibulan town could be used for cycling marathons and kayaking events, covered courts for basketball and volleyball games, the boulevard area for bangkathons, and the reclaimed area near the Dumaguete Press Club building for beach sports. Aside from this, the mayor also suggested that vacant lots can be turned into baseball fields. Moreover, the city has hosted the Palarong Pambansa in 2013 and the recently held Unigames wherein athletes from different schools and universities competed in numerous sports event.

“We are so lucky. It’s the location, it’s the atmosphere, the people and it will reflect on how the leadership will welcome this events and we are so lucky that the city and the province (government) have one vision in sports. We are helping each other,” Remollo said. He also announced that on February 2017, Dumaguete City will host the regional Palaro for the Negros Island Region.

“There will be 16 divisions (of the Department of Education), (around) 5, 000 to 10, 00 people will be coming and the impact on that on our economy,” Mayor Reomollo disclosed. “You cannot say it’s just sports, it’s sports tourism. When athletes come, they come with their parents. Parents stay in hotels, they move around,” he pointed out. On the other hand, Remollo also tagged Dumaguete City as getaway to other destinations like whale shark site in the municipality of Oslob and the Sumilon Island town in Cebu, the province of Siquijor and many others which will help attract other tourists to come to the city.

“We should support this program, this is our program,” Remollo told attendees of the forum. Meanwhile, Negros Oriental Sports Development Program Head Paultom Paras agrees that sports tourism is a good promotion area as sporting event allows sports enthusiasts to go to the destinations identified as venues for sports events. (ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)