Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo and City Administrator Lilani Ramon accepted the award of Dumaguete City as 2023 Emerging Sports Tourism Destination of the Philippines, from Tourism Promotions Board chief operations officer Margarita Nograles recently.
The awarding ceremony was held Nov. 22 at Axis NUSTAR Resort Cebu City, attended by personalities and stakeholders of the sports tourism industry, including top business corporations, travel agencies, national government officials, and athletes.
Charles Lim, founder and chairperson of the 6th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards, said that Dumaguete is one those “honored and recognized as among the most deserving entities and personalities for having contributed so effectively and impressively in boosting tourism through sports endeavors and events in the country.”
Lim said he hopes the award will encourage and inspire others to reach new heights in advocating for sports tourism.
Dumaguete is already a Hall of Famer as Sports Organizer of the Year in the entire Philippines, having won the award in 2017, 2018, and 2019, the city said.
Remollo was also awarded as 2019 Sports Personality of the Year for the government sector along with his counterpart, Manuel V. Pangilinan, for the private sector.
In 2017, Dumaguete was a runner-up in the Sports Tourism Destination of the Year category, which was won by Subic Bay Freeport.
Remollo has been using his network of avid sports enthusiasts and sponsors to hold their events in Dumaguete, putting this small but thriving city on the map for major sports tourism events, to create more opportunities for local entrepreneurs and creatives. ||
