The first Tourist Rest Area (TRA) in the area, which is situated at the picturesque Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon province, was formally launched on Friday, August 4, by the Department of Tourism (DOT), under the direction of Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
In addition to Medellin, Cebu in July, this is the second TRA that the DOT has officially handed over to a local government unit (LGU).
The recently opened facility has an information desk, charging stations, a coffee shop, clean restrooms with showers, a lactation room for nursing mothers, and a pasalubong centre where local goods from Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are displayed. These include the renowned Bukidnon coffee, beaded items from T’boli tribes, and more. Additionally, it features native Bukidnon painters and leaf carvers’ creations, which liven up the tourist attraction’s overall appearance.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the DOT Undersecretaries Shahlimar Hofer Tamano and Ferdinand Jumapao, Regional Director Marie Elaine Unchuan, Bukidnon Governor Rogelio Neil Roque, Vice Governor Clive Quio, Mayor Rogelio Quio, Vice Mayor Reynaldo Bagayas, Jr., 4th District Representative Laarni Lavin Roque, and Vice Governor Rogelio Quio were all present.
The LGU received a symbolic key during the inaugural event as well. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Wilmar Sumahoy, a local town artist, created a leaf art depicting a “key” that was ceremoniously installed at the TRA location as a symbol of the DOT’s constant dedication to improving the overall tourism experience in the nation.
In a speech, Secretary Frasco explained that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had ordered the creation of the TRA in order to strengthen the nation’s tourism infrastructure and the entire tourist experience.
To fulfil our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s promise to give tourism development priority under his administration, to invest in infrastructure, connectivity, innovation, digitalization, and most importantly to equalise tourism opportunities, the tourism chief said, “It fills me with great joy to be back in the beautiful province of Bukidnon.”
One of the ten rest areas for tourists that are now being built, some of which have already been finished across the nation, is this one. There is a tourist rest area in Ilocos Norte, one in Baguio City, many in Cebu, one in Bohol, one in Samal Island, one in Davao del Norte, and of course one right here in Manolo Fortich. The good news is that this is only the first of ten; construction has already begun on fifteen additional tourist rest spots across the Philippines in the hopes of using tourism to advance national development.
The local government leaders of Bukidnon province, for their part, commended the DOT for giving Mindanao priority in its tourist programmes, saying that this would help to increase tourism in the province.
“Bukidnon’s tourism potential has only just begun to be explored. The top ten highest mountain peaks in the nation can be found in our province. In particular, we would like to thank Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and the Department of Tourism for providing us with this visitor information centre and rest space. The development of Bukidnon’s tourism industry will greatly benefit from this infrastructure investment, according to Governor Roque.
As one of the first towns in the nation where travellers can rest well and receive assistance while enjoying tours to and from so many beautiful places in Mindanao, Mayor Quio expressed gratitude to Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco and Regional Director Marie Elaine Unchuan.
Source- Travel daily