Sorsogon is again reopening its doors to both local and foreign travelers with better infrastructure, improved facilities and more attractions in several tourism sites, according to Governor Chiz Escudero.
Escudero has assured that “a more beautiful and better” province awaits tourists when they visit Sorsogon as travel restrictions are eased around the country with the decline in COVID-19 cases in the country.
“Noong nagsara ang mundo nang dahil sa pandemya, ginawa namin itong oportunidad upang mapaganda pa ang aming lalawigan. Nagkaroon ng mga renovation at improvement sa ilan sa aming mga tourism sites, pati mga kalye at iba pang mga imprastraktura ay ipinagawa,” Escudero explained.
On March 5, Escudero will lead the blessing and inauguration of the new Bulusan Eco-Tourism Center and Facilities, and the Bulusan Eco-Adventours at the Bulusan Natural Park, which has been closed since the March 2020 lockdown.
Amenities at the Bulusan Park have been upgraded and expanded to include an al fresco coffee shop and restaurant, a massage and spa area, and bigger souvenir shop.
Bobby Gigantone, chief of the Sorsogon Porvincial Tourism Office, expressed optimism that the town of Bulusan will attract even a fraction of the pre-pandemic tourist arrivals as the country transitions to the new normal phase. In 2019, Bulusan received 141,000 visitors, mostly locals.
Last week, the town of Donsol has reopened its “butanding” (whale shark) interaction to welcome back tourists, with health protocols in place to ensure the safety of visitors. According to Gigantone, some 13,000 locals and foreigners visited the popular destination, known as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World,” from January to May 2019.
The public was given a preview of the province’s famous tourism destinations in the recently-concluded television series “I Left My Heart in Sorsogon.”
“Our province is more beautiful and better now kasi pinagsikapan namin itong pagandahin simula noong mag-lockdown noong Marso 2020, and I am excited to welcome both our kababayan and foreigner friends alike,” Escudero, who is running for the Senate, said.
“Umaasa kami na muling pagbubukas ng aming pinto para sa turista, lokal man o banyaga, gugulong muli ang aming ekonomiya at mabubuhay muli ang mga negosyong nahimlay dahil sa pandemya,” he added.