TACLOBAN CITY – All is set for today’s regional launching of a program of the Department of Tourism which aims to help local entrepreneurs that could boost the tourism industry.
The program, dubbed as the Grassroots Entrepreneurs for Ecotourism (GREET), has a vast potential in helping the local businessmen working in the tourism industry that the national government through the DOT makes it one of its flagship programs, Susan del Mundo, GREET secretariat, said yesterday during a weekly media forum at the Philippine Information Agency.
“The program is good because this will encourage and develop all eco-tourism destinations,” Del Mundo said.
Today’s regional launching will be held at the Leyte SMED Center to be participated by various sectors most notably those engaged in the tourism industry.
Del Mundo said that Eastern Visayas was identified as one of the anchor destinations under the program mainly because it has lots of ecotourism destinations which have not yet been totally developed.
With the program coming in as a way in helping these ecotourism destinations, entrepreneurs whose business is related to the industry would be encouraged to improve their services and facilities as they would be entitled to receive financial grant.
Under the program, a local entrepreneur may be entitled to a grant from as low as P50,000 and as high as P100,000.
Karina Rosa Tiopes, regional director of the DOT, said this is a program that was especially designed by the government of President Macapagal-Arroyo to help “small” entrepreneurs make it good in the industry.
“Several of our big players in the tourism industry started small. And this program could just make our small entrepreneurs become big players,” Tiopes said during the same weekly media forum “Harampang ha PIA.”
She cited some small boatmen operating in the islands of Pintuyan Southern Leyte whose facilities need some improvement and has now a chance in doing so by availing the grant extended under the GREET program.
With an improved facilities and services, increase of tourist arrivals in the region is expected, Tiopes said. “And this will not only spur economic development but also generate employment,” the tourism regional chief said.
The tourism regional director added that other government agencies are ready to extend assistance to these entrepreneurs like the Department of Trade and Industry in so far as preparing their business plans.
The local government units, where the ecotourism destinations are located, are also expected to provide assistance to the beneficiaries of GREET program as hey are at the “frontlines” in so far as promoting the destinations, Tiopes said.
Tiopes expressed her optimism that with the program, places designed as “ecotourism destinations” in the region would be given the needed attention and boost.
Among the destinations in the region identified as ecotourism destinations were the Sohoton national Park in Basey, Samar, Lake Danao in Ormoc City and Cuatro Islas in Inopacan.
