THE Department of Tourism Region 6 (DOT-6) is now in talks with various tour operators in the region as it continues to develop destinations for the One Visayas tourism circuits.
DOT-6 Assistant Regional Director Phoebe Zelie Areño, in an interview at the sidelines of the Iloilo City MICECON 2025 at the Grand Xing hotel here on September 25, said the initiative is a collaboration with the other regional offices to create a circuit within the Visayas region.
There will be three tour circuits, including the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) heritage and gastronomy trails, diving expeditions, and heritage trails, and cultural discoveries, which they found to be rich in Negros Island Region (NIR) and Central, Eastern, and Western Visayas.
“What is good is that we already have connectivity with these regions. Routes already opened, direct to Tacloban for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), to Cebu, and we also have routes in Bohol and Dumaguete for NIR. If our visitors are into gastronomy, culture, or diving, they can go around the Visayas regions through this activity,” she said.
Areño added that for gastronomy, Western Visayas will not only showcase Iloilo but also Capiz, the seafood capital of the Philippines.
She said they are developing Antique as part of the dive destinations, which they intend to expand to include Guimaras, northern Iloilo and other parts of Panay, like Boracay.
The heritage trail will include Iloilo City, being the UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and the Miagao Church in Iloilo province, declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We will offer that to tour operators. We are in talks already with the tour operators. They were also part of the development of these circuits,” she said.
The One Visayas tourism circuit was launched in a ceremony attended by public and private stakeholders at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Sept. 6.
Meanwhile, Maria Lea Victoria Lara, director of the Iloilo City Meetings, Incentives, Conference, and Exhibits (MICE) Center, said that the MICECon was launched last year to create a space for stakeholders to collaborate, engage with experts, and build networks for business-to-business opportunities.
“This year, we focus on infrastructure development and allied tourism services to catalyze industry growth,” she said in her message.
The conference puts into the spotlight key economic infrastructures – airport, heritage buildings, and convention center— vital to creating unique destination experiences.
“Enhancing these assets will help position Iloilo as a top MICE destination in ASEAN,” she added. (PNA)
