ILOILO CITY, May 13 (PNA) — The provincial government of Guimaras is offering homestay to tourists who could not be accommodated in hotels in the province.
The province has experienced a surge in the number of tourist arrival with the opening of the San Lorenzo wind farm and the celebration of the 22nd Manggahan Festival starting May 11 to 22.
Governor Samuel Gumarin said the 1,300 rooms available in the province are expected to be already fully-booked by Friday.
He said they may resort to homestay to cater to visitors. Houses for possible homestay are identified in every municipality.
“The province is taking a stride to invite more investors to provide amenities and other needs of tourists,” he disclosed.
This year the province is eyeing some 500,000 visitors, an increase of 10 percent compared to tourist arrivals in 2014.
The province is also eyeing some PHP1.7 billion receipts to be generated from out of the arrivals, according to Angie Gabinete, Guimaras’ tourism officer.
With the help of the Department of Tourism, they are looking forward to entice more foreign visitors as around 90 percent of arrivals are domestic tourists.
Gabinete added that they are closely coordinating with the Provincial Tourism Council to look into the improvement of facilities, communities, services and tour guides, among others. (PNA)