DOT conducts site assessment, selects Marinduque as a potential Creative Tourism site

Boac, Marinduque – The Department of Tourism (DOT) conducted a site assessment and data-gathering activity on May 14-15 in coordination with the Marinduque Provincial Tourism Office.

Based on DOT Memorandum dated May 5, day 1 (May 14) site visits and assessment of potential creative tourism offerings in Marinduque, and day 2 (May 15) conduct of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with key tourism stakeholders, including artists and artisans, culture bearers, creative hub managers, local tourism officers, tour operators, and representatives from the academe.

The consultant Team, Joint-process Media Inc, is led by Juliepearl Brion, Patrick Mansujeto, and Victor Estrella. Meanwhile, the target participants for the FGD are from the artists association, tour operators, tour guide association, Marinduque State University representatives, National Museum of Marinduque, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the local government unit.

On the first day (May 14), the team visited artisanal and cultural workshops, specifically moriones mask carving, local creative enterprise/hub like uraro/ arrowroot processing, eco-cultural and coastal tourism, such as Gabisan pottery in Torrijos. The second day (May 15), heritage architecture and local museum, National Museum, with heritage district of Boac and culinary & team synthesis at Casa de Don Emilio and Mamita’s Café in Boac.

Meanwhile, the FGD took place at the 10-year-old café and Balar Hotel. The program started with welcome remarks and context setting, proceeded with ecosystem mapping and framework, integration, and standards. It closed with a synthesis and an open forum.

The DOT priorities is under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028, culture-based tourism has been identified as one of the ten priority product portfolios, with creative tourism positioned as a key sub-product. DODT said that Creative Tourism represents a new generation of tourism that emphasizes active engagement with local culture, arts, and heritage, enabling both visitors and host communities to co-create meaningful and authentic tourism experiences. # Randy T. Nobleza Ph. D.