Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez talks to DOH Asec. Dr. Jean Paulyn Ubial (right) and DOH-8 RD Edgardo Gonzaga during a courtesy call at the City Mayor’s Office on Tuesday (July 13). (RACHSON M. CARSIDO)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry is promoting the Northwest Leyte Corridor in the investment promotion of tourism sector for businessmen who wanted to venture on tourism facilities, this is according to DTI Provincial Director Desiderio Belas in an interview.
The Northwest Leyte Corridor refers to the areas from the municipality of Palompon to the city of Ormoc down to the municipalities of Isabel and Hilongos and the newly-created city of Baybay.
“The said area is considered by the DTI as a great asset in the investment promotion for tourism facilities considering that the area has several sites that are constantly visited not only by tourist but including students who are conducting educational tours,” Belas said.
Among the identified sites in the Northwest Leyte Corridor that are considered as major tourism sites for local tourist such as students are the campus of the Visayas Sate University in Baybay, the Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) in Ormoc, the Leyte Industrial Estate in Isabel which are constantly subject for educational tours while in the municipalities of Hilongos and Palompon are focused on the eco-tourism like bird-watching.
The creation of the said area as one major tourism site for the province of Leyte was developed by the Regional Tourism Coordinating Council and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) which had a value chain study on what are the products that are to be bought  in the said corridor.
The group conducted a series of talks and workshops with the local tourism facilities operators in the said area to see what are the gaps and things that are needed to improve the promotion of the  area.
Belas said that among the help that they provide to businessmen in the said area is by coordinating with them to have access to financial institutions that will provide them loans as additional investment for their business. It also includes the technical expertise by conducting seminars and workshop on how to improve their business by means of creating additional products aside from the present products that they cater.
“The DTI is more concerned on the investment promotion for the northwest corridor to promote the place as the more suitable and better investment sites for businessmen who want to put-up tourism facilities while the Department of Tourism will help us in the promotion, marketing and advertising aspect,” he added.
“Among the active sectors in the said corridor are van operators, hotel operators, booking operators who are in the forefront in the tourism promotion which contributes in the success of the value chain that is promoted by the government benefited by the private sectors,” he added.
The promotion of Northwest Leyte Corridor as major tourism site is in line with the project of the previous government of PGMA to promote the Visayas as the major destination for local and foreign tourists in the country. (ROEL AMAZONA)