The country has to address three main challenges in order to achieve a genuine sustainable tourism program, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines said.
Melody Melo-Rijk, project manager for the WWF-Philippines’s sustainable Diner Projects, told the BusinessMirror in a recent e-mail interview that one of the major hurdles facing the tourism industry in terms of promoting and implementing sustainable programs is to be one of the top go-to destinations in Asia and in the world.
At the same time, Rijk said the country must have vigorous conservation and protection programs of its natural resources.
“Another challenge would be to maintain and preserve our cultural heritage and historical attributes which highlights our uniqueness and contributes to our leverage in the field of tourism,” she said.
Rijk said the national government and local government units must prioritize the strict implementation of laws pertaining to the environment, most especially in tourist destinations.
She added that they should create and implement a sustainable tourism development plan in the local and national level.
She said consultations with the private sector could provide support on how they can include sustainability in their operations.
By investing in efficient and sustainable technologies, Rijk said both the government and private sectors can strengthen local economies by providing job opportunities within the communities, providing capacity development among industry players, provision for research and development among others.
Meanwhile, Rijk said WWF’s Sustainable Diner Project aims to promote and integrate sustainability principles in the food service sector.
Concerning rea-estate development projects, Rijk said, Presidential Decree 1586, or the Establishment of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System, together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ succeeding administrative orders and memorandum circulars related to the EIS System, should be complied with and implemented in the pre-development stage of any project in order to balance socioeconomic growth and environmental protection.
She pointed out that concerned national government agencies must thoroughly study, evaluate and analyze the materials and documents provided by the project proponents.
“Furthermore, public consultations with the local government units and communities must be doneto ensure that the property development must be consistent with or supported by the local land use and tourism development plans,” she said.