Butuan City gears up for a master tourism dev’t plan

BUTUAN CITY, Nov. 30 (PNA) – The city government of Butuan, along with the City Tourism Council (CTC), formulated a proper planning and created a Master Tourism Development Plan (MTDP) in an effort to make the region’s capital city as the primary gateway or tourist destination in the Caraga region.

To give more teeth on the said plan, City Mayor Democrito Plaza ll over the weekend issued Executive Order No. 192 “An order implementing the cultural mapping of Butuan City towards a development of a comprehensive Tourism Plan”.

EO No. 192 will fully support the CTC’s program. It will support the Council in strengthening the historical heritage, cultural treasures and pre-historic archaeological significance of Butuan City.

Butuan City is the regional center of Caraga region and positioned itself to be the show window of history, culture and Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibits (MICE) and destination.

Also located in this city are archaeological richness punctuated by sites which yielded metal, Balanghai boats, artifacts, earthenware and ceramics, gold ornaments and deformed skulls of early inhabitants.

Being the region’s capital city, the city government also developed a sector for center of transportation, education, finance and business to complement its position as regional MICE destination.

The CTC, chaired by former City Mayor Daisy Plaza, also embarked on various community heritage programs for the preservation and appreciation of its local heritage.

“There is a need to identify and harness the heritage resources of the city and transform these into valuable and sustainable educational and economic assets that can affect the contemporary lives of the people and the future generation,” said Mayor Plaza in his EO.

Moreover, the EO also ordered the creation of Cultural Mapping Management (project) Implementation Team (CMMIT).