A CENTRALIZED reservation scheme is seen to be used in order to control the number of tourist flocking to the whale watching sites in Oslob town, in southern Cebu.
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said local tourism stakeholders had agreed in a meeting on Monday to reduce the number of visitors that would be allowed to do whale watching activities from a previous daily average of 1,000 tourists to only a maximum of 800.
“The progress is good because they (local tourism stakeholders) have already agreed to lower the number of visitors to be entertained. The DOT (Department of Tourism) raised the idea of having a centralized booking for those who want to visit,” said Magpale.
Of the 800 slots that will be open for a day’s operation, 200 will be reserved for official visitors of the local government unit (LGU) while the remaining 600 slots will be divided among tour operators.
In events when no visitors are expected by the LGU, the 200 slots will be opened for the tour operators.