MARAWI CITY (PIA) — The Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur is actively enhancing its tourism industry by developing a Provincial Tourism Development Plan.
The initiative, led by the Provincial Tourism, Culture, and the Arts Office (PTCAO), aims to capitalize on the growing number of visitors to the province and enhance local economic development.
Yusup Saaban, Tourism Operations Officer at the (PTCAO), said the first of the series of workshops, held in Iligan City on September 11-14, 2024, focused on analyzing the current state of the tourism industry in Lanao del Sur.
He stated that the insights from the workshop will serve as the foundation for creating a comprehensive and inclusive provincial tourism development plan.
Members of the Executive Planning Committee participated in the four-day activity. The committee conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis and utilized various tools to ensure the plan is grounded in real-world data.
“Following the workshop, we plan to conduct benchmarking to integrate the insights gained from previous site validations. This will help us craft a realistic tourism development plan for the province,” Saaban further said.
Officials conducted actual site visits from August 6 to 8, 2024, to assess and validate key and emerging tourist destinations in the province.
“While we had limited time to cover all the planned sites, we managed to visit several attractions, some of which are close to being ready for public opening. The findings from these visits will help shape the tourism development plan by determining which sites to include and identifying any additional improvements needed,” he explained.
Saaban said the community had expressed positive reactions to the tourism development initiative. While time constraints limited direct engagement with all local government units, those involved were supportive and enthusiastic about the planning process.
The provincial government has also sought the assistance of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to ensure the plan is inclusive and effective. (APB/PIA-10 Lanao del Sur)
