The municipality of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur has opened new tourist attractions during the pandemic, featuring Mt. Loay, Sinoron Eco Park and Bamboo Peak which set the trend of outdoor and adventure tourism.
Julius Paner, the Municipal Investment Promotions and Tourism Officer of Sta. Cruz, has bared that most of their visitors these days are seeking more of the outdoor sites and mountain-based adventures such as mountain climbing.
The bulk of tourist arrivals in the municipality is mostly from the millennial age group who prefer to spend their leisure time in adventurous activities, Paner said during his guesting in the One Davao on COVID-19, a virtual presser of the Philippine Information Agency Region XI at the Aeon Towers.
With a lot of offerings of the municipality’s ecotourism landscape such as the Mt. Apo peak, trails, caves, forests, rivers and waterfalls combined with its cultural attributes, tourists would likely need more than two weeks to explore the whole municipality of Sta. Cruz for a rest and recreation.
“We would as much as possible like you guys to stay in our place, kasi if you want to explore all attractions in Sta. Cruz, kulangin yung dalawang lingo,” Paner suggested for anyone planning to visit the municipality.
He also emphasized that while the local government has been robust in developing its ecotourism industry, it is also steadfast in ensuring the protection and conservation of the natural resources, especially within Mt. Apo being a natural park and protected area.
“We have to indeed protect the environment because we are making the environment the capital to our tourism development. And the good thing is we have been doing this every year with appropriations from the local government unit,” he stated.
A recent example of the protection of the environment is the banning of pork menu within the vicinity of Mt. Apo Park to avoid the contagious spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) on the Philippine warty pigs.
“These species are vulnerable. Its population is decreasing, and we have seen frequently the presence of one Philippine warty pig in the summit of Mt. Apo,” Paner said. (PIA-XI/Franchette Delfin)
