The Negros Oriental Tourism Roadmap was presented in a workshop in Dumaguete City recently, attended by about 100 stakeholders, to ensure support to the development of tourism as guide for sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the province, a government press release said.

With the blueprint, Gov. Roel Degamo said his administration is bent on using the tourism industry as the main component for creating livelihood and employment opportunities for Negrenses.

Department of Tourism 7 regional director Rowena Montecillo said that, based on records, international tourist arrivals reached 463,359 in 2013, or a 50 percent increase compared to 2012, the press release also said.

She said that Negros Oriental placed second to Cebu province in tourist arrivals in Central Visayas. The top 10 foreign visitors to the province were Americans, Germans, French, Canadians, Britons, Australians, Chinese, Koreans, and Swiss nationals.

With the growing number of tourist arrivals or markets, the tourism action plan will also have to align with the National Tourism Development Plan and identify the priority tourism development areas in the country, Montecillo said.

She added that key development strategy plans include product development, marketing and promotion, sun and beach, cruise and nautical tours, nature adventures, educational, sports and medical tourism, events and conventions, and cultural heritage tours, the press release added.*

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