Bago City highlights sustainable tourism

BACOLOD CITY — The local government of Bago City in Negros Occidental is showcasing sustainable tourism for this year's Christmas celebration to solidify its hold as one of the world's Top 100 Green Destinations in 2023.

Senior Tourism Operations officer Mae Ann Furtos disclosed that decorations at the Bantayan Park are mostly made of zero plastic and eco-friendly materials while at Buenos Aires Mountain Resort, indigenous materials such as ramay or dried banana leaves, bamboo and palm fruits are used for the Filipino-themed mini-Christmas village.

"This is part of the local government's climate action to lessen the carbon footprint incurred by its residents," said Furtos, adding that they want to maintain Bago City as a green destination after its sustainable tourism practice earned it a spot in this year's Top 100 Green Destinations, an international platform that acknowledges and celebrates the most inspirational initiatives for sustainable tourism development.

A 9.2-meter hall stands at the Bantayan Park, one of the city's prime tourist destinations, where reusable and recycled decorations are being used and there are also two Christmas-inspired telephone booths nearby.

"We also decorated our park with natural decorations like small ornamental plants that look like Evergreen trees and other greenery which somehow remind us of Christmas," Furtos said.

She added that the solar-lighted lanterns will be donated to the beneficiaries of the city's "Paskwa sang Pag-asa" project.