KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato—Tourists visiting popular destinations in Tboli are paying a little bit more when visiting the municipality’s tourism spots.
This after Tboli’s Sangguniang Bayan passed Municipal Ordinance No. 133 s. series of 2016, which among others imposes rates and charges of tourism facilities and services operating in the municipality.
Per Section 24 of the said ordinance, every person going to Lake Holon via Salacafe, Kule or Mt. Melibingoy trail are required to pay entrance fee of P100 per day and environment fee of P50.
Same local legislation has also set fixed fees for tour guides: P300/tour guide via the Salacafe Trail and P600/tour guide for those trekking via the more challenging Sitio Kule and Mt. Melibingoy trails. A tour guide can only serve up to 10 persons.
Ground rental at the camp site in Lake Holon is set at P100/per tent/night.
Fees for optional services are as follows: porter fee (P20/kilogram, one way), ATV adventure (P500/person/hour), water sports lake tour (P450/person/day), water sports kayaking (P150/person/hour), horseback riding (P400/person, one way).
Besides Lake Holon, other popular tourist destinations in municipality include Bakngeb Cave, Hidak Falls and Lamhaku Hot Spring.
Tboli, along with Lake Sebu, was recently recognized as one of the Top 100 Sustainable Destinations in the World.
Mayor Dibu Tuan explained in an interview that the fees were decided after discussions with residents in these places who also serve as the tourism service providers.
“This would ensure that the residents in the area are provided steady source of income,” Mayor Tuan said, emphasizing further that this approach encourages the locals, mostly belonging to the Tboli tribe, to become partners of the local government in its programs for the protection and preservation of the environment in the tourism destinations.
The local government has limited the number of tourists to Lake Holon to 200 persons per day.
For about two months each year, Lake Holon is closed to tourists to allow the area to recuperate.