By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
October 10, 2010, 5:32pm
ALOGUINSAN, Cebu — From a small quaint fishing village, local folks living quiet simple lives, fourth-class Aloguinsan town in Cebu province now thrives with tourists, with everyone benefiting from its booming transformation into a tourist destination.
From fishing and farming as the main source of livelihood in this town with a population of some 27,000, Aloguinsan residents now gain additional income by promoting the town’s ecotourism activities.
“Ecotourism is really a big thing for Aloguinsan. We empower our people and promote tourism so people are given alternative livelihood,” said town mayor, Cynthia Moreno, whose municipal government hired a tourism consultant to promote the locality’s attractions.
Aloguinsan’s best kept secrets are now out and international tourists, especially wealthy tourists from Europe looking for unusual tourist destinations, have been visiting to see the town’s beauty.
Among Aloguinsan’s attractions is Bojo River, where a community of fishermen and their families operate an educational and entertainment tour, giving tourists a hands-on experience in the average day in the life of a fisherman.
Among the packages the town offers are mangrove ecology and bird wildlife lectures, handicraft demos, a river tour, cultural and heritage walk, a kayak adventure, dolphin and bird watching tours.
Moreno said the local government is intent on maximizing these adventure tourism features in the coming months what with the positive feedback, plus growing interest in this town following its recent inclusion in the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo caravan. The latter was started in 2005 by the Cebu provincial government under its Tourism and Heritage Council which basically brings busloads of tourists to well-kept but off the beaten track historical, cultural, gastronomical and natural attractions spread through Cebu’s 44 towns and seven cities.