The Philippines' Batanes Islands - A New UNTWO's Sustainability Destination

The United Nations World Tourism Organization is pleased to announce that Batanes has joined the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories.

 

Supporting the long-term growth of tourism via evidence and a collaborative approach, the Batanes Tourism and Hospitality Monitoring Centre (BTHMC) is leading the charge in this field. The latest commitments will go a long way toward establishing a tourism industry that is both environmentally friendly and economically stable for Ivatans and tourists alike.

The observatory here is the latest addition to the UNWTO's expanding network of worldwide observatories, all of which seek to promote the ethical management of tourism by building welcoming and sustainable environments for tourists and locals alike.

The indigenous Ivatans have provided the Observatory with a wealth of information on the most pressing sustainability challenges, and the organization plans to use this information to extend its measuring efforts into the social and ecological spheres in accordance with the INSTO Framework.

The Batanes Islands will benefit from this strategy since it will allow them to manage tourist growth in a more comprehensive and sustainable manner.

According to UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, such measuring effort is especially important for the Batanes Islands since it will aid in preserving the islands' distinctive character and establishing a responsible industry that will ultimately benefit both the locals and the tourists in the area.

Marilou Cayco, governor of Batanes, commented:

"We are honoured to become the first member in the International Network of Observatories in the Philippines. Being part of this network will allow us to better assess the impact of the growing tourism sector in the Batanes Islands and provide us with the relevant evidence to inform future policies and decisions to ensure that tourism is sustainable and resilient".

The Batanes is an astonishing archipelago 160 kilometers north of the Philippines mainland, with Basco as its capital. In addition to providing a safe haven for migrating birds, the islands are teeming with rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

The Observatory is run by a group of experts from many disciplines at the University of the Philippines Diliman. The research team relies heavily on a technical working group made up of Batanes' tourist industry stakeholders to run the Observatory. Additionally, the provincial government of Batanes and Batanes State College have formed a collaboration to advance educational initiatives.

 

Source: unwto.org