With tourism promotion among local communities bearing fruit, a local suburb bagged the Best Tourism Village Award from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat expressed her elation with the latest development, recognizing the “remarkable work” of the local community in Bojo through the Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association or BAETAS and the strong support of the municipality of Aloguinsan.
“A local destination being inducted into the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Program on its pilot year is a testament to the Philippines’ commitment to sustainable tourism development from the national level down to the grassroots,” said Puyat.
“The wealth of our natural resources and unmatched hospitality remains our key strength as we strive for the reopening of the industry to international travelers anchored on the principle of safe and sustainable tourism,” she added.
Tourism Officer-in-Charge-Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso and Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe Jones Lhuiller received the award in Madrid on December 2 (Thursday) on behalf of the Philippines.
The UNWTO’s pilot initiative recognized 44 villages from 32 countries that stood out for their natural and cultural resources as well as for their innovative and transformative actions and commitment to tourism development in line with the sustainable development goals or SDG.
Likewise, the said program has been launched to advance the role of tourism as a tool for rural development–with its aim to value and safeguard rural villages along with their associated landscapes and knowledge systems among others.
