WATER SPORTS. Personnel of the municipal government of Lake Sebu and the Bureau of Fire Protection try out some of the water sports recreation activities at Lake Lahit during the inspection and testing in March last year of the site’s new tourism facility. Dubbed Lake Lahit Water Park and Recreation, the site is scheduled for soft opening this March. (File photo courtesy of the Lake Sebu Municipal Information Office)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – A new tourist attraction featuring popular recreational water sports activities will open in March in one of the scenic mountain lakes of Lake Sebu town in South Cotabato.
Argie Asaria, South Cotabato’s senior tourism operations officer, said Friday preparations are ongoing for the soft opening of the Lake Lahit Water Park and Recreation under the “new normal” in the wake of the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
He said it would open ahead of the planned grand launch of the facility in April and the expected influx of tourists during the summer season.
The soft opening will serve as the pilot testing of its services and amenities as well as the flow of visitors, he said.
Developed by the municipal government of Lake Sebu, Asaria said the water park and recreation spot will mainly offer various water sports and adventure activities.
“Tourists will get to experience sports recreational activities like kayaking and riding a water bike, as well as try out the traditional Tboli canoe called the owong,” he said in a statement.
He said visitors may also spend their time fishing on the lake or go trekking and sightseeing around the area.
Asaria said the place will have a restaurant that will mainly offer various delectable tilapia dishes, a “must-try” for visitors of Lake Sebu.
The restaurant will be managed by community residents and supported by the Department of Tourism-Region 12, the provincial government of South Cotabato and the municipal government of Lake Sebu.
The 24-hectare Lake Lahit is the smallest of the three lakes of the town, which is dubbed the summer and ecotourism capital of South Cotabato.
The local government, through Mayor Floro Gandam, pushed for the development of the site to open additional attractions, which include the main 354-hectare Lake Sebu, 48-hectare Lake Seloton and its seven waterfalls.
The Lake Sebu tourism office conducted the initial inspection and testing of the site’s water sports facilities in March last year but its opening was delayed due to the onset of the pandemic. (PNA)
