COSTAS
Cebu Provincial Tourism Office chief’s bid to ensure safety, health of tourism frontliners, visitors
Every local government unit in Cebu Province should have a safety management plan to ensure the health and safety of tourists, specially the frontliners of the tourism industry.
Joselito “Boboi” Costas, Cebu Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) head, said the results of a surprise drug test on Tuesday where 18 tour guides of Badian, a southern town 98 km from Cebu City, were found positive of using illegal drugs, highlight the need of having such a plan.
Costas said that this policy is important to help minimize or prevent this kind of situation from happening again.
“It is actually how or what are the policies that will promote the health and safety of not only your guests and visitors, but also the frontliners of the industry such as the local guides,”he said.
The plan will include a drug and alcohol rule.
“If you are a guide, there has to be a proper orientation about the responsibilities of a guide,” he said.
The plan’s drug rule include having a regular drug test and a random drug test, which the LGU would review regularly.
Costas said he had started gathering the necessary data and would recommend the plan soon.
“I am gathering all data and I will recommend it to the Vice Governor (and) to the SP (Provincial Board) that there should be a legislation requiring each LGU for a safety management plan,” he said.
Aside from that Costas is also calling on the LGUs to take care or restore tourism destinations in their areas that had fallen into stagnation.
He said that some tourism destinations in Cebu had started showing signs of stagnation and should be restored.
“You have to do something kay either the destination will go down or you can actually revitalize the destination,” said Costas.
He, however, did not disclose what destinations or what towns in the province he was referring to.