It provides alternative livelihood to the community through tour guiding, food preparation and handling as well as visitor interpretation and management,” DOT secretary Joseph Durano explained.

He will lead the product launch and turn-over of Guisi Community Tourism Enterprise Project to BDTC at Guisi Heritage Cottage on April 19.

Combinations of half or whole day tour packages are available.  These include biking, rappelling, mangrove visitation, kayaking and community interaction.

The DOT-6 has spent some P1-million budget for Guisi under the Grassroots Entrepreneurial Eco-Tourism (GREET) project.

Eight days of training were provided to 24 residents who are to take on the work.

At least two sets of equipment for kayaking, 24 sets of gear for snorkeling, 12 mountain bikes, helmets and ropes were also donated to the locals.

“We would like to make the project a template for community-based tourism.  We should adopt the entrepreneurial approach. We have to give the benefits directly to the community,” DOT-6 regional director Edwin Trompeta said.

“Guisi already has a family cottage for the guests but we also plan to establish a dormitory-type structure to accommodate visitors in groups. We have to implement soft landscaping, proper signage and improvement of roads in the area,” he said.

The provincial government first established a heritage cottage at the site where an age-old lighthouse built by Spanish seafarers is situated beside a newly-installed solar-powered one.

Trompeta said they have set their eyes on Guisi since the Solar 1 oil spill.

“We waited until Solar 1 was retrieved because we were not sure of the viability of the project as long as the oil was there. After the oil recovery operations were finished, we started the project implementation which has so far been successful,” Trompeta said.

For past two years, DOT-6 has cited BDTC for managing the Guisi Community-Based Heritage Tourism Project which is undertaking two complimentary programs – serving and entertaining clienteles from excursion and barangay tourism.

Excursion tourism promotes day trips from other parts of the region while barangay tourism caters to international guests who would want to experience rural life.

BDTC has promoted heritage tourism through projects that also contribute to poverty reduction.

The Guisi Heritage Tourism received the Urban Leadership Award from CUI in 2005.