About Us...

MAYON VOLCANO NATURAL PARK ECOTOURISM PROJECT

         The Philippines is regarded as one of the top 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world in view of its high percentage of endemic plants and animals which are threatened by extinction. Recognizing the diverse natural and cultural resources of the country, Executive Order No. 111 was issued on June 17, 1999 to establish the guidelines for ecotourism development in the Philippines.

         Pursuant to EO111, the National Ecotourism Startegy (NES) was formulated to provide an integrated management plan for the development of ecotourism in the country. Its preparation was undertaken through a series of regional stakeholders consultation and national planning workshops that emphasized a bottom-up and top-down approach for harnessing ideas, information and experiences in developing the country’s ecotourism sites.

        The NES is founded on the vision to advocate, foster, coordinate, monitor and mobilize support for ecotourism

        The top-down process seeks to focus the development, management and marketing of key ecotourism sites and set standards for enhancing the quality and monitor ecotourism operations.

         The bottom-up process aims to create mechanisms for nurturing ecotourism development through community initiative, local entrepreneurship and private sector participation.

        The NES has identified 32 key ecotourism sites in the Philippines categorized as banner, emerging and potential sites. Twelve (12) of these were declared as banner sites, while others are either emerging or potential. Banner sites are relatively ready sites, chosen to provide the image to position the Philippines as a premier ecotourism destination. On the other hand, emerging and potential sites are areas which can be developed in the medium and long-term, respectively.