3│ Ecotourism in the Islands Ecotourism Sites & Activities Bantayan Island, the Camotes Group of Islands and President Carlos P. Garcia Island have a diverse range of high quality natural and man-made attractions, which are ideal for ecotourism development. Its attractions include an extensive system of protected areas such as coral reefs, marine parks and mangrove forests; fine white sand beaches; coves; caves; waterfalls, and; historical sites that could easily be packaged into viable tourism products. At present, tourism activities are limited to the following: rest & relaxation, nature tours, trekking, biking, homestay, and festival celebration. Natural Resource Base The islands' natural resource base comprises mostly of marine and coastal resources, such as marine sanctuaries, coral reserves, beaches, seascapes, caves and mangrove areas. Measures to protect some of the potential ecotourism sites such as the marine protected areas are already in place. Local legislations such as the Municipal Fisheries and Coastal Resource Management Code and the Clean and Green Ordinance are some of the local initiatives taken to protect the coastal resources of the islands. A number of task forces have also been created to ensure the protection of the marine sanctuaries. There is a need though to strengthen some of the measures. Even with the presence of the bodies, violations threaten these protected areas. Marine Protected Areas. The islands boast of successfully-implemented and managed marine protected areas. By virtue of enacted ordinances, the islands have established 56 marine sanctuaries/protected areas, covering more than 1,000 hectares. Almost half (25) of the marine protected areas are found in Bantayan Island. Another 22 are found in President C.P. Garcia Island and 9 in Camotes Island (see Table 3). The Marine Protected Areas are home to hundreds of marine flora and fauna species including coral reserves. These sanctuaries are potential ecotourism sites for snorkelling, diving, and fish feeding. Although marine resource conservation was the primary reason for establishing the marine protected areas (MPA), the tourism industry could benefit from the MPAs and put more justification for their maintenance. If managed well, tourism could contribute to the economic gains of the MPAs in the islands as well as boost their conservation. 12 | P a g e Table 3. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Camotes Group of Islands and President C.P. Garcia Island MPA Location Covered Barangay/s Total Area Camotes Group of Islands 1. Pilar Municipal Marine Park (PMMP) Pilar Lower Poblacion and 179.2 hectares Villahermosa 2. Libertad Marine Sanctuary Poro Libertad 33 hectares 3. Esperanza Marine Protected Area Poro Esperanza 42 hectares 4. Santiago MPA San Francisco Santiago 18 hectares 5. San Isidro MPA San Francisco San Isidro 48 hectares 6. Esperanza MPA San Francisco Esperanza 12 hectares 7. Consuelo MPA San Francisco Consuelo 38.6 hectares 8. Puertobello MS Tudela Puertobello 39 hectares 9. Villahermosa MS Tudela Villahermosa 69 hectares President Carlos P. Garcia Island 1. Aguining Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Aguining 51.14 hectares 2. Bonbonon Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Bonbonon 32.62 hectares 3. Campamanog Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Campamanog 9.77 hectares 4. Canmangao Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Canmangao 5.35 hectares 5. Kabangkalan Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Kabangkalan 2.99 hectares 6. Tilmobo Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Tilmobo 2.17 hectares 7. Tugas Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Tugas 10.35 hectares 8. Gaus III Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Gaus 9.59 hectares 9. Lipata Marine Protected Area II President C.P.Garcia Lipata 10 hectares 10. Bantigue Island Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Butan N/A 11. Bantigue-an Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Saguise N/A 12. Basiao Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Basiao N/A 13. Baud Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Baud N/A 14. Bogo Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Bogo N/A 15. Datag Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Popoo N/A 16. Gaus I Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Gaus N/A 13 | P a g e MPA Location Covered Barangay/s Total Area 17. Gaus II Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Gaus N/A 18. Pong-Gamay Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Lapinig N/A 19. Santo Rosario Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Santo Rosario N/A 20. Sidlakan Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Saguise N/A 21. Talisay Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Pitogo N/A 22. Villa Milagrosa Marine Sanctuary President C.P.Garcia Villa Milagrosa N/A Sources: Local Government Units of Bantayan and Camotes Islands Mangroves. Several areas in the islands have been dedicated to mangrove plantations. The more important mangrove sites are those found in Bantayan Island. The mangrove sites in the Municipality of Madridejos cover a total area of 38.56 hectares while that in the Municipality of Bantayan cover 90 hectares. Potential activities in the area include kayaking, boating, and fishing. Beaches. The islands' coastal areas are characterized by either strips of white sand beaches or limestone crags. Both offer good sites for swimming and seascape scenery. The islands have also several islets that have potential for island hopping activities. Bantayan Island where tourism is already an emerging industry is particularly popular among domestic and foreign visitors for its white and sandy beaches and clear seawaters. The Municipality of Santa Fe boasts of a 17.5 kilometer stretch of pristine sandy beaches. Hence, the municipality is host to numerous beach resorts in the Beach resort in Bantayan Island, Cebu island. Caves. The islands have a good number of caves that are ideal for adventure tours such as spelunking. Waterfalls. Waterfalls is another attraction found in Camotes Island. The Municipality of Tudela have two waterfalls and the Municipality of Poro has a waterfall. 14 | P a g e Lakes. Lake Danao in the Municipality of San Francisco, Camotes Island is one of the most scenic lakes in the Philippines. It is the only freshwater lake in Cebu and the second cleanest lake in the country. Given its relatively large area (approximately 500 hectares) and the fact that no fish cage has been constructed within the lake, it could be a very good place for fishing and cruising. Lake Danao, which is home to a variety of wildlife species, is also ideal for picnics. Cultural Resources Cultural resources include historical sites, festivals, and traditional practices. Historical Sites. The Islands of Bantayan, Camotes and President C.P. Garcia are not only home to many natural attractions but also host a number of historical sites. An assessment of these sites, however, needs to be conducted to determine the extent of their potential as ecotourism products. Festivals. Festivals are common attractions in the Philippines that showcase the cultural heritage of the locals. As these festivals were able to attract tourists in many areas, they could also be used in the case of the islands to promote tourism. Cultural Practices. Some handicraft industries are unique to the islands that could be developed to become the islands' niche market in cultural tourism. Such type of tourism product, which could be developed further to allow tourists to personally experience the actual production, is gaining popularity in the global tourism Soli-soli Festival of San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu scene. (Photo by Enrico Dee) 15 | P a g e Ecotourism Facilities & Services Accommodation. Considering that the tourism industry in the islands (except Bantayan Island) is still in its early stage of development, facilities to support the industry are limited in terms of capacity and type. Most of the ecotourism sites are still largely without accommodation facilities. In President C.P. Garcia Island, which is the least developed among the 3 island groups, there are only two beach resorts that provide accommodation. These resorts are quite small, capable of hosting a total of 22 guests. In Camotes Island where tourism is slowly being developed, only about 100 rooms are available in the entire island. Homestays, however, have been organized in some municipalities to address the lack of accommodation facilities in the area. In Bantayan Island where tourism is already an emerging industry, accommodation facilities are available for tourists in all the three municipalities. Most of the hotels, resorts and restaurants, however, are concentrated in the Municipality of Santa Fe where the best beaches are found. Among the tourist accommodation facilities in Santa Fe are six (6) class A resorts, eight (8) class B and C resorts, and 18 rest houses or cottages built along the shoreline. Accommodation is not the only facility that needs to be put up if the islands are to be developed into world-class ecotourism destinations. Adequate auxiliary facilities and services such as rescue and medical facilities & services, banks, tour and transport services, restaurants and entertainment facilities, reception/information centers, and public restrooms must also be provided. Dining. Among the three groups of islands, Bantayan Island has the most number of dining places and entertainment facilities for tourists. Many of these are located within the premises of the resorts/ hotels. Camotes Island, for its part, has limited choices of restaurants and entertainment facilities. President C.P. Garcia has no such facilities for tourists. Reception/ information centers are not available within the tourism sites. Medical Services. In Camotes Island, there is only one 25-bed capacity hospital based in the Municipality of San Francisco. Likewise, in President C.P. Garcia Island, there is a 10-bed capacity hospital. All of the municipalities in the 3 island groups, however, have rural health units (RHU) that are staffed with a doctor, nurses, and midwives. The health care services offered in the RHUs are limited to general consultations.