Tourism is an industry that has the potential to be an engine of growth for any province and Governor Eduardo B. Gadiano strongly believed that Occidental Mindoro offers a vast potential for sustainable tourism.
Being home to the second-largest contiguous coral reef in the world- Apo Reef, the province has a wide array of tourist spots from marine biodiversity to mountain ranges to unspoiled white beaches and more.
Among many other devastating effects of COVID-19 in general, this pandemic has significantly impacted the tourism industry of the province.
To keep up, PGO Tourism invested in Tourism Planning and Development, Data Banking, and Administrative Services.
Tourism Development and Promotion Division conducted series of Inspection, Monitoring and Evaluation of Emerging and Potential Tourist Destination.
The face-to-face implementation of this program was not pushed through. Traveling was strictly observed since Delta variant was a threat and to avoid transmittal of the virus, going from different places to conduct inspection was discouraged. Coordination with Municipal Tourism Officers was still conducted via email and phone calls where the Provincial Tourism Office requested data to support the program. Tourism data likewise was updated. This highlighted the best practice amidst pandemics. The advantages in using technology were maximized as such we are still able to conduct monitoring and evaluation with the assistance of the Municipal Tourism Officers.
Familiarization Tour was also conducted last December 6-7, 2021, during the conduct of the 4th Quarterly Meeting of the Provincial and Municipal Tourism Officers in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
The highlight of this activity is the visit in existing and emerging tourism destinations in San Jose where Island hopping in White Island, Bahura Reef, Inasakan Beach and Grace Island was experienced by the Tourism Officers of the province for possible tourism circuit in the mentioned islands as the Municipal Tourism Office of San Jose is preparing their town to reopen tourist attractions to domestic tourists.
