DIVE HAVEN. Divers explore the underwater of Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte. Despite movement restrictions, the promotion of dive sites in Southern Leyte has not stopped with the participation in dive expo, featuring the Philippines’ best diving destinations, Department of Tourism regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes said on Friday (Jan. 15, 2021). (Photo courtesy of Sogod Bay Scuba Resort)
TACLOBAN CITY – Despite movement restrictions, the promotion of dive sites in Southern Leyte has not stopped with local dive shops participating in an online dive expo, featuring the Philippines’ best diving destinations.
Three dive sites in Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte within the Sogod Bay area have been included in a presentation during the Dive Philippines 2021 webinar series on Jan. 13, Department of Tourism regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes said on Friday.
“Sogod Bay dive sites are the rising star of Philippine dive destinations and an undiscovered diver’s paradise that suits all levels of diving experience and expectation. The bay has over 30 dive sites, a variety of diving from shore diving to muck diving and wall diving can be done,” Tiopes said in an interview.
Three dive shops operating in Padre Burgos town presented videos of dive destinations to online audiences in Europe and Asia. These are the Sogod Bay Scuba Resort, Peter’s Dive Resort, and Southern Leyte Divers.
“For the past three years, we have been participating in travel and tour expositions to promote our dive shops. A lot of tourists became aware of the beauty of our dive destinations. We have to sustain that effort as we prepare our sites to welcome guests after this pandemic,” Tiopes told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
“We lost so much last year due to pandemic. This year, we build our sites and communicate with the target market for them to be assured that they are safe if they feel they are ready to come,” she added.
Southern Leyte’s dive destination is one of the sites featured in the webinar series from Jan. 12 to 15. Other sites are Palawan; Mindoro; Bohol; Dumaguete; Malapascua, Moalboal, and Mactan in Cebu; and Anilao in Batangas.
The event has tackled topics on shark conservation, live aboard travels, dive training and education, sustainable marine tourism, free diving, tech-diving, underwater photography, black water photography.
The webinar series is organized by the DOT – Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving to provide the country’s dive sites the opportunity to access the domestic and global dive markets. (PNA)
