The tourism department in Western Visayas will be staging for the first time the Guimaras Umbrella Festival.
The event, supported by the provincial and municipal governments and stakeholders, is initially scheduled to be launched on November 9, 2019.
The Department of Tourism (DOT-6) will provide 1,000 umbrellas to pumpboats ferrying passengers to and from the island province of Guimaras.
This, according to the DOT-6, “is a temporary solution to the new guidelines set by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)” after the Aug. 3 sea tragedy that claimed 31 lives.
The guidelines include the removal/folding of the tarpaulin cover (tolda) in pumpboats “that compromises the health of the passengers, especially of the senior citizens.”
The festival is part of the DOT’s efforts to “reposition Guimaras as a desirable tourist destination and as part of the agreement arrived at during the Inter-Agency Consultation Dialogue on Guimaras Tourism on October 3, 2019.”
“We want to promote positive and responsible marketing for Guimaras. While we comply with the guidelines set by MARINA, we want to take this as an opportunity also to promote Guimaras through the 1st Guimaras Umbrella Festival,” said DOT-6 Director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas
“This will not only protect the passengers from the direct heat of the sun but will also promote the province using the social media platform that it is still fun riding motorbancas with colorful umbrellas,” she added. IMT
