IN THE aftermath of le affair Boracay leaving the island closed and off-limits to tourists for six months, attention shifted to other areas in the archipelago, particularly Iloilo City/Province and the nearby island province of Guimaras.
The same question is again asked: “Is Iloilo tourist/traveller-friendly?” And may I add Guimaras to the mix?
Now we have this in the news: “Guimaras overwhelmed by influx of tourists.”
Well and good but what happens if sewage waters in Guimaras are also dumped into the surrounding waters? Are there sewage treatment plants or a sewage system in the island? Can the island handle the influx of visitors and their waste?
Moi was in Guimaras a few weeks ago and the telltale signs are abundant i.e. floating garbage around wharfs, pipes with water discharging into the sea, garbage in the inland streams and along populated areas.
So what’s a “traveller”? Although quite different from the usual tourist, really both are similar in so many ways. You can say that the tourist and traveller are twin sons from different mothers.
Basically a tourist goes to a certain place for a vacation a holiday while a traveller goes to a destination for something else other than a holiday, usually work-related. In my case I travel because of my animal welfare advocacy.
I have always considered myself a traveller and naturally had some experience travelling. I have been to most of Southeast Asia, mainland China up to the gateway to Tibet and Himalayas, to the Middle East, well, just Dubai, the United Kingdom i.e. England and Scotland.
I am proud to say that I have never been to the United States of America and have no intention to do so in the near future.
As far as this archipelago is concerned I’ve been to most of the major islands up to the farthest town in Luzon and most of Mindanao.
So I guess that makes moi a traveller and as one I usually share the road with the tourist and had the chance to observe what makes the tourist a tourist and why they go to these places.
In the process I also had opportunities to talk with them and what they usually expect to find in these places they go to.
Which brings us to the question: Is Iloilo tourist/traveller-friendly?
For any place to be a destination for tourists and travellers it must have the proper infrastructure, meaning it is accessible to transport public and by that we mean it has the proper airport, seaport and good road network, otherwise how in the world can you get to that place.
By infrastructure we also mean that the place has the basic amenities i.e. proper toilets and bathrooms, electricity, potable water, edible food, places to sleep, telecommunication and internet access, and relatively safe and secure.
Based on the above it would be safe to say that Iloilo City including some of the towns in southern Iloilo Province has most of the basic infrastructure but not quite; it does not say the same for the entire province particularly in northern Iloilo.
Iloilo has a modern international airport which is quite good so travel by air to and from Iloilo is not a problem as all the major airlines has daily flights, plus there are direct regional flights.
Although sea travel to and from Manila is no longer practical, the Port of Iloilo is still useful and it has a new port for fastcraft to the nearby Island of Negros.
Another thing is for a tourist to go to a certain place there must be an attraction and things to do in that place i.e. heritage sites, festivals, cuisine, beaches, dive spots and sex. Ever wonder why a lot of Caucasian tourists go to Thailand and Burgos Street in Makati? Yup, for the sex, baby, and the kinkier the better. And certainly these Caucasian tourists don’t go to Cebu for the lechon and utap but something else, I’m sure you get my drift.
Bear in mind that the tourist wants to go to a foreign land to experience something not found in his home country. So if you have a European guest don’t bring them to SM City; they’re not interested in that; they’re not Koreans.
One tourist, an Englishman I had a chance to have coffee and conversation, has this to say about Iloilo City:
“Ok, I was there for Dinagyang, ate batchoy and pancit molo, after that what? I must say I love San Miguel Beer and the ladies are lovely, the only redeeming factor in my Iloilo City trip. Otherwise it was a waste of time.”
A couple of French ladies I had a few beers and conversation with told me that they saw this website about the islands in northern Iloilo and they were smitten so off they left France and travelled to northern Iloilo only to be disappointed.
Travelling by road from Iloilo City took them more than five hours over horrendous roads. It took them over two hours to get to the island on very rough seas. When they got to the island there were no accommodations, not even a proper toilet and potable water.
“It’s a good thing we met someone who told us about some of the beach resorts in southern Iloilo so when we got back to the city we went to this place in the town of San Joaquin and it was lovely, it saved the vacation from a complete disaster”.
Another Englishman also said over beer: “So you’re from Iloilo? What do you blokes do after Dinagyang? Get drunk because there’s nothing else to see and do?”
Well, don’t go to the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art as drunks are not allowed there, Englishmen or otherwise. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
