DARAGA, Albay—The provincial government of Albay and Smart Telecommunications Inc. (Smart) once again joined hands—this time, in the launch of digital tourism for Albay—on Friday afternoon at the historic church of Nuestra Señora de Porteria, which lies atop the Santa Maria Hill in this town, with the majestic Mayon Volcano at the background.
The partnership made Albay the first province in the Philippines to employ digital tourism.
The occasion was led by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda; Jose FL. Rosete, Smart external relations manager for Luzon; representatives from the National Historical Commission and the Catholic church; Albay provincial and Daraga and Camalig municipal officials; tourism officers; media and other sectoral group representatives.
Salceda said digital tourism is the third collaborative project of the province with Smart. The first is the Info Board with 15,000 subscribers, and the second is dubbed as Pindot.
He said the first two mobile applications are both part of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management program of Albay.
“This is a concrete proof of the continuously rising level of the tourism industry in the province,” Salceda said. He added that as a free mobile application, one can see in just a single press on the button of an Android cellphone the needed information about tourism in Albay, thus, serving a handy tourism guide to the province.