BONTOC, Mtn. Province – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) here has approved the Provincial Tourism Code and called for information dissemination to the public.
Provincial Ordinance No. 295 amends Provincial Ordinance No. 80, series of 2007, and provides for the implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
It was only recently that the Ordinance has been out for dissemination to the public. Under the Ordinance, the provincial government is to be concerned with the promotion of facilities, regular inspections of establishments, and also the conservation and preservation of culture and the arts in the province which was lacking in the earlier ordinance.
It is also gender sensitive as it mandates the provincial government to provide social tourism programs and services and promotion of women’s arts and crafts.
The provincial law calls on the provincial government to promote community-based ecological and eco-tourism programs that will sustain bio-diversity, preservation of the environment and culture and arts of the communities.
Regulating the tourism industry is the main concern of the Code as it lays down requirements, rules and regulations for establishments, facilities, as well as the development of tourism attractions, and protection of stakeholders.
The Ordinance spells out that the identification, delineation, and development of tourism sites are the responsibilities of the municipal and barangay local governments. The provincial government may assist in the provision of funds for tourism programs and projects including in the sourcing of funds.
Basic requirements for tour guides were also provided for by the Ordinance such as the age bracket which is from 18 to 55 years old, must have attended a tour guiding seminar and subsequent related DOT trainings, a member of a tour guide association, and must be able to communicate in English, Tagalog, and Ilocano, among others.
Tour guides must be culturally sensitive in guiding to “atos, papatayans”, burial caves, and the like that are considered sacred by the communities.
The municipal governments are mandated to accredit establishments like homestays and lodging houses, and tourism attractions in their respective areas.
The lodging establishments are also mandated to submit tourist arrival data to the municipal tourism offices that shall submit consolidated data to the provincial tourism office every end of the month.
An inspection team composed of representatives of the Provincial Tourism Office, the Municipal Tourism Offices, and the tourism councils. It says that periodic inspections of lodging establishments and restaurants once in six months may be conducted to ensure that they comply with the standards set forth by the Provincial TOURISM Code and other related laws.
A Provincial Tourism, Culture and the Arts Council (PTCAC) was created by the Ordinance composed of representatives of the private sector such as the hotels and lodging houses, transport groups, tour guides, local businesses, and civil society organizations and pertinent offices of the provincial government, among others.
Among the players in the tourism industry are the several groups in the private sector like the Hoteliers Association of Mountain Province (HAMPI), the tour Guide associations, transport groups, and the souvenir item owners, among others.
The Municipal Tourism Offices through the Municipal Tourism Action Officers are also indispensable partners in the tourism industry.** Roger Sacyaten