Shallow Gimmick and Samal Island

By friendly permission of Mindanao Daily Mirror, where I am also writing my regular column "In My Opinion", I like to share with you the Editorial from February 18, 2011:

Shallow gimmick

The local government of the island Garden City of Samal has come up with a gimmick ostensibly to entice more tourists, specially foreigners, to visit the island city and enjoy the amenities offered by beach resorts therein. The booklet, shaped and designed like a passport, will be available at the Davao International Airport, overland transport terminals, and malls in Davao City.

At first blush, the "passports" look great as tourism, particularly, beach resort operation, and is the island's main industry. Scheduled for release next month , the booklet contains discount coupons of beach resorts, a list of activities and other tourism information guides. so says Nelson Aquino, officer-in-charge of the IGACOS tourism office. Some 30 beach resorts are operating in the island most of which are located along the coastline facing Davao City.

On closer look, the "passport" is nothing bunch a shallow gimmick and an empty gesture to welcome visitors. The local government's effort to attract more tourists to the island will be more meaningful and significant if it revises, better yet repeal altogether, the controversial revenue ordinance that imposes heavy fees on users of the island's recreational facilities as well as plain visitors.

Anyone who goes to Samal Island even for a short visit is charged with an entrance fee of 5 Pesos. In all likelihood, it is the only place in the world that imposes an entrance fee for visitors. That's only for starters. The so-called environmental user's fees also include: Island hopping or plain sightseeing: 20 Pesos per person per day; strolling at mangrove board walk: 20 Pesos person; mountaineering: 20 Pesos per person; spelunking: 25 Pesos per person; extreme adventure sports: 30 Pesos per person; snorkeling or scuba-diving: 50 Pesos per person; photo documentation: 500 Pesos per day; research: 500 Pesos per group; and video documentation: 1,000 Pesos per day.

Noting the unfriendliness and oppressiveness of the ordinance to beach resort users, resort owners and operators have filed a suit before the Regional Trial Court in Panabo City seeking to declare the new revenue code as unconstitutional. The local government's imposition of exorbitant fees to users of beach resort facilities is one sure way of driving away tourists.