As the Department of Tourism Central Visayas Regional Office’s Dive Program expands, with the Dive7 Festival as its anchor program, the office has endeavored to explore potential dive sites in the region, and the initial stop was in Cebu’s recognized ecotourism destination, the Municipality of Aloguinsan.
Held at the Hermits Cove, the Dive7 Festivals – Aloguinsan leg, a diving event organized by the DOT 7, Provincial Government of Cebu, Aloguinsan LGU, and dive stakeholders, and supported by Moalboal LGU, was launched on Friday, November 12, 2021.
The event’s ceremonial opening was led by Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Mayor Cesare Ignatius “Ig-ig” Moreno and other officials of the Municipality of Aloguinsan, and DOT-7 Regional Director Shahlimar Hofer Tamano. Present during the event were officials from the Municipality of Moalboal led by Mayor Paz Rozgoni, representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), the Moalboal Dive Association, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and dive stakeholders. Including Aloguinsan in the Dive7 Festivals was the brainchild of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. She described Aloguinsan as a “prime tourism destination” and pushing Aloguinsan as a new diving destination in the region is “another milestone.”
Now, the municipality not only offers the multi-awarded Aloguinsan River Eco-Cultural Tour, but also underwater adventures – snorkelling and diving in the waters of Hermits Cove, Barangay Kantabogon.
The Department of Tourism Central Visayas Regional Office will conduct the Dive7 Festivals yearly to promote Cebu and the region as a prime diving destination for the local, domestic and international tourist markets. One of the objectives of the program is to discover and open more dive sites in the region.
The DOT plans to go around the region, including Dauin, Negros Oriental to explore the many dive sites in the area, including the world-renowned Apo Island. – NWI
