Regional athletic meet could boosts Aklan’s tourism
KALIBO, Aklan – The hosting of the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet from March 14 to 19 will tremendously boosts the tourism industry of the province of Aklan, a top official of Department of Tourism said.
Tourism regional director Edwin Trompeta said the sport tourism event will bring benefits for tricycle drivers, sidewalk vendors, vegetable, meat and poultry growers, restaurants, hotels, shops, bars, recreation center, markets and souvenir stores in the province.
Winning the bid for the 2010 WVRAA for Aklan after 15 years would create opportunities for tourism growth, generate direct and indirect jobs for the province and investment in modern sports venues and infrastructures.
Last year, the provincial government started the construction of the Aklan Calangcang Sports Complex in Barangay Calangcang, Makato, Aklan, which is substantially financed through government loans.
The regional athletic meet will likely gain incremental tourism growth since athletes from the provinces of Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo will visit the famous Boracay Island and eco-tourism sites of the province in the immediate post-WVRAA meet.
The regional athletic meet also highlight the Aklan province as a hospitable destination in the hosting of one of the major sporting events in Western Visayas. WVRAA is also a golden opportunity for hotels and pensions in the capital town of Kalibo to offer and showcase their services and accommodations to local tourists.
While the games are being held in the main venue of Aklan Calangcang Sports Complex and other sport venues in the town of Kalibo, Lezo, Makato and Numancia, the host province is also expected to generate national radio, print and television exposures.
“Sports and tourism, thus, are key generator of hundreds of thousands or millions of tourism expenditures for the economy of Aklan,” Trompeta said.
