Operators look into limiting number of tourists, higher entrance fees for Aguinid Falls

Aguinid Falls in Barangay Tangbo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — An increase in the entrance fee, standardizing the fees of tour guides and more sustainable tourism practices are among the proposed changes suggested as the Aguinid Waterfalls reopens to the public in July 2019.

Aguinid Falls, located in Barangay Tangbo, Samboan town, is an eight-level water attraction that has gained popularity for nature lovers and adventure seekers.

Tourism activities involving the waterfalls is operated by Barangay Tangbo through a barangay ordinance.

Officials of Barangay Tangbo and the Tangbo Ecotourism Workers Association recently announced that the waterfalls will be closed to the public for a month, beginning June 17, to allow the natural wonder to heal from the damages brought about by the El Niño weather phenomenon and the mass entry of tourists.

In a press statement, the association said the break will also be used to craft more ecologically-viable practices and rules in operating Aguinid Waterfalls

READ: Samboan town’s Aguinid Falls will be closed for a month to ‘heal’

Among the proposed changes is the increase of the entrance fee to the waterfalls. The current entrance fee rate is at P20 per person.

Erwin Gamallo, assistant tourism officer of Samboan, however, said the tourism stakeholders and the barangay officials have yet to agree on the new rates.

Gamallo added that they are working on imposing a limit to the number of tourists that will be allowed entry to the falls every day.

“Talking about the effect of the El Niño, dako gyud kaayo ang minus sa volume sa tubig unya pareho ra ang gidaghanon sa mga tawo nga moadto so maapektohan gyud ang status sa falls,” Gamallo told CDN Digital.

(There is a significant reduction in the water volume but about the same number of people still flock to the waterfalls. This negatively affects the state of the falls.)

In 2018, the Samboan Tourism Office recorded a total of 72,000 visitors visited Aguinid Falls.

Gamallo said they are coordinating with the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) so that a carrying capacity study will be conducted to determine the limit of visitors that will be allowed in the ecotourism destination.

He added that the increase in entrance fee is what they see as a temporary way to reduce the number of visitors while the carrying capacity study is not yet complete.