SAGADA, Mountain Province, Dec. 21(PIA) — Mayor James Pooten said the local government of Sagada will regulate tourists coming to the municipality starting this Christmas season.
This is due to the experiences of the municipality during the past long weekends and holidays where thousands of tourists flocked to this scenic town filling up every tourist destination and vehicles clogging the narrow roads.
An incident during the long weekend on November 30 to December 2, 2018 showing thousands of tourists who got stuck in a sunrise viewing peak was posted on social media.
“The municipality of Sagada through its tourism council came up with interventions to limit the entry of visitors in Sagada,” Pooten said in an interview.
The mayor explained that from the weekend before Christmas to the first week of January, personnel from the local government unit will be stationed at the different entry points of the tourist destinations to act as gate keepers and count the visitors coming in and out to make sure that these areas will not be overcrowded.
“We will be implementing restrictions in tourism destinations particularly if the areas will be overcrowded or will reach their carrying capacities,” he added.
He informed that they already started setting the carrying capacity of the different tourist destinations such as the sunrise and sunset viewing areas, trekking and eco-trail areas and even the water bodies and the caves. This will help in the crafting and implementation of the municipal plans particularly on tourism, environment conservation and developments in partnership with the different national government line agencies.
Pooten also called on tourist operators from the different parts of the country who are bringing in tourists to Sagada to register their clients at the Sagada Tourists Center before going to the different destinations to ensure that they are counted and also for their safety.
The LGU will also encourage tourists to leave their vehicles in their respective hotels or at the designated parking areas and use local jeepneys in visiting the different tourist destinations to avoid traffic jams by clogging the narrow roads of the municipality.
Pooten said that tourist arrival in the municipality sometimes goes up from 4000 to even as high as almost 9,000 so they are also calling on the different establishments to make sure to go by their bed capacities. The latest survey of hotels, inns and other accommodation establishment in the municipality recorded a total of 3,800 bed capacity.
The mayor also advises tourists to respect the people, place and the culture and tradition of Sagada and also to maintain its clean and friendly environment.
The Sagada LGU posted in social media general guidelines to be followed by visitors. **DP/RMC- PIA CAR
