Our first campaign on sustainable tourism was launched on June 8, World Ocean’s Day. It took the form of a webinar that was broadcast live on Facebook. The main resource person was from the Society for Sustainable Tourism. The other panelists were representatives from the local government unit, the business sector, the education sector, and the youth. The webinar concluded with a consensus to work on a long-term blueprint for the transformation of our town’s tourism practices towards something more environmentally sustainable.
The process of organizing and airing a webinar was a new experience for the group. The EACY Advocates group and EACY program staff learned a lot from the experience, which will be utilized to enhance webinars and online sessions in the coming months.
Upon reviewing the metrics that came out after the live event, it appeared that we were able to reach 6,500 people on Facebook, with 202 who responded with comments. In general, the feedback was positive. Most of the respondents look forward to attending the next webinar, and they expressed eagerness to participate in the next steps.
The panelists in the webinar and the EACY Advocacy Group agreed to form the core
group of the Puerto Galera Sustainable Tourism Council that will plan for the next steps.
Aside from the creation of the council, it is the group’s goal to enroll in the Green Destinations program, presented by the resource speaker. The Green Destinations program will help create a roadmap for Puerto Galera’s tourism industry to transition towards sustainability.