Mactan’s resorts, hotels still fully booked; Moalboal bans tents on its beach

IT’S still a busy summer for hotels and resorts on Mactan Island even if findings from the Environmental and Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB 7) revealed high levels of fecal coliform contamination in the seawater around the island, which is famous for its tourism-oriented facilities.

Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), said that despite the recent findings of EMB-7, hotels and resorts on Mactan Island are enjoying high-occupancy rates, as tourists continue to flock to the islands for their summer holiday.

“We will be busy for the summer season and the next months. In fact, we haven’t received any complaints of tourists canceling their bookings from our members as of now. Especially with the impending closure of Boracay this April 26, we will be definitely busy,” Suarez told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.

On the other hand, the town of Moalboal in southern Cebu, another equally popular tourist destination, has taken a more proactive move by banning tents along its beach, as a means to ensure a cleaner surrounding.

Suarez assured they are working closely with the local governments of Lapu-Lapu City and the town of Cordova, both located on Mactan Island, to ensure that Mactan’s seas will stay safe for swimming.

“We are coordinating with the LGUs (local government units) to make sure that our tourists are safe. All our members are following the necessary government protocols since our group is accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT),” said Suarez.

Out of the 85 members comprising HRRAC, at least 40 of them are based on Mactan Island.

Moalboal

Meanwhile, barangay officials of Saavedra in Moalboal town have started prohibiting the installation of tents on their shorelines.

Moalboal, located about 88.2 kilometers southwest from Cebu City, is famous not only for its white-sand beach in Barangay Saavedra and pristine seawater but also as a popular snorkeling sites, particularly on Pescador Island.

Saavedra Barangay Captain Susana Nuevo said they have implemented the barangay ordinance prohibiting installation of tents on top of the sand at the beach area, as this contributed to more garbage left by guests.

“A lot of garbage are being left behind by tent users, so we decided to prohibit the tents on the beach,” said Nuevo in Cebuano.

According to Nuevo, it was after huge piles of trash were left behind by tourist who came during the Holy Week that they decided to pass the barangay ordinance on the first week of April.

Aside from their garbage concern, she said the presence of so many tents on the beach have become an eyesore, obstructing the public’s view to the beauty of the white sand in Sitio Basdaku of her village.

Nuevo said there are at least ten resorts in their barangay, all of which supported to their move.

She said tourists would still be allowed to put up tents but only in front of their accommodations in the resorts and not on the shorelines. Guests are however still allowed to set their mats on the sand, she added.

Violators of the no-tent-on-the-sand ordinance will be fined at least P1,000, she said.