BONTOC, Mtn. Prov.– All lodging houses and other accommodation establishments with permits or licenses are now required to submit tourism statistical data to the Municipal Tourism Offices.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) enacted Provincial Ordinance No. 296, entitled “An Ordinance Requiring all Hotels, Resorts, Lodging Houses, Transient Houses, and all Other Similar Accommodation Establishments in Mountain Province to Submit Their Respective Statistical Data to the Municipal Tourism Offices of Mountain Province for consolidation by the Provincial Tourism Office”, last year sponsored by Board Member Donato Danglose, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Tourism.
It is to be noted that one hindrance in the promotion of tourism development in the province is the lack or non-submission of statistical tourism arrival data to the Municipal Tourism Office which in turn shall submit to the Provincial Tourism Office such required data for consolidation.
Subtitled as ‘the Tourism Statistical Data Standards of Mountain Province”, the Ordinance invoked Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009, authorized the Local Government Units (LGUs) to monitor and administer tourism activities, and enforce tourism laws, rules, and regulations.
Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, provides that LGUs shall prepare, adopt, implement, and monitor tourism development plans, enforce tourism enterprises and collect statistical data for tourism purposes.
It was gathered that the main reason lodging establishments hesitate to submit tourism arrival data is that it could be used for taxation purposes. That notion was, time and again, denied by authorities.
However, it is underscored that tourism statistical data will serve as bases for policy, and decision making, and improvement of the tourism industry, for marketing and investment promotion in local, regional, and national levels.
Tourism statistics is a measure of tourism effectiveness and as a tool to assess whether tourism policies are effective, sustainable, and progressive.
“It is also a gauge to know the lean months when tourists are less, to propose and implement tourism programs and activities for lean months, to lure visitors to the municipality or province”, is the common sentiments of the Municipal Tourism Action Officers voiced out in one of their meetings.
“All accommodation establishments with permits and licenses shall accomplish monthly tourism statistical data based on standards and formulas as prescribed by the Department of Tourism to be submitted to the Municipal Tourism Office of the LGU where the establishment is located on or before the 15th of the following month”, reads the ordinance.
Although no penal provision is provided, it specifically mentions that it shall be the duty of the Municipal Tourism Officers and or the Provincial Tourism Officer to monitor the implementation of the ordinance.
Tourism policies and enforcement of tourism rules and regulations are now devolved to the LGUs per RA 7160, the Local Government Code of 1991 and RA 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009.**Roger Sacyaten
