A LAWMAKER on Sunday batted for the strengthening of the nautical highway and use of inland waterways to boost tourism in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the Senate Committee on Tourism, pushed especially for more investments to modernize in roll-on,roll-off (Roro) vessels, as well as seaports.
“I believe our waterways are underutilized,” said Binay in Filipino, “this is why we need new Roro vessels and more seaports that can handle these kinds of ships. We need more investors for these kind of projects.”
She added, “More destinations can be opened and easily reached in the Visayas and Mindanao through these initiatives.”
Binay noted government plans to construct and rehabilitate seaports in the Visayas, which could be linked to Cebu, Northern Mindanao and other parts of the nautical highway.
“More economic opportunities can be opened and expanded through greater mobility and affordability,” she said in a news statement. The lawmaker was in Cebu City over the weekend for the blessing of the new ship, MV Filipinas Cagayan de Oro. The vessel is owned by Cokaliong Shipping Lines, one of Cebu’s leading shipping companies.
The nautical highway, opened in 2003 under the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, uses a network of Roro vessels and seaports to link different islands in the country.
Binay said that since the opening of the 919-kilometer highway, more people have traveled across the islands as it as an affordable alternative to flying. This, has opened access to numerous tourist destinations along the nautical highway’s path.
“I think it’s high time that we make use of our bodies of water as a mode of transportation,” she emphasized. “It’s high time that we further develop the nautical highway, and strengthen it to boost the tourism industry in the Visayas and Mindanao.”
“The key to a vibrant tourism industry is a well-oiled transportation network, especially so that the Visayas and Northern Mindanao have mostly island destinations,” the legislator said.
She noted Cebu as a hub for local and international flights, “and by having more transportation options to complement the Cebu airport, tourists can be enticed to go to more destinations.”
Because of the six-month closure of Boracay Island last year, tourists started going to alternative island destinations like Bohol, Siquijor, Camiguin, and Siargao, she stressed.
The Philippines received 7.1 million foreign visitors last year, up 7.65 percent from 2017. While last year’s tourist performance is considered an historic high, it was lower than the 7.4 million targeted by the Department of Tourism (DOT) under its National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) for 2016-2022.
Last year, Cebu was estimated to have been visited by 6 million tourists, both foreigners and domestic travelers.
Under the NTDP, transportation infrastructure development, travel facilitation, tourism investments, are one of the key points for the DOT to increase and expand economic opportunities for Filipinos, the latter, a goal of the government under its AmBisyon Natin 2040 plan.
The Medium Term Tourism Infrastructure Program drawn up for the NTDP estimates that P6.1 billion is needed to develop cruise ports, specifically from 2017 to 2022. Also, some P1.6 billion in investments are needed for transport units in general, except for aircraft, for the same reference period.