The Palina River Cruise in Roxas City is once again a recipient of a tourism award given by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced that the river cruise run by the Palina River Development Association Inc. and the Roxas City Government won the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Award for Urban Category.
“Congratulations, Palina,” said Roxas City Mayor Ronnie Dadivas in a statement.
The Palina River Cruise first won the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Award in 2022.
The Palina River Cruise: A Journey Through Nature, Livelihood and Community is a success story that turned a once silted river into one of the sustainable tourist destinations for both Roxas City and even Capiz.
The river cruise is part of the Palina Greenbelt Ecopark, which has been designated as a mangrove reservation area since the early 2000s to reverse the river’s degradation caused by illegal structures that mushroomed during the 1990s.
But the ecopark itself was established 20 years ago with the creation of the Palina River Development Association Inc.
The city government during the tenure of then mayor Angel Celino infused budget for the initial phase of river rehabilitation with mangrove planting.
The second phase established the infrastructure including the floating restaurants that would take visitors on a cruise while enjoying the bounty of Capiz, which is dubbed as the country’s “Seafood Capital”.
Aside from the city government, the DOT also backed funding to improve and expand the tourism project that gave livelihood to local residents.
Over the years, the Palina River Cruise has gained national recognition and often an example of sustainable community tourism program.
Aside from the Roxas City Government, the Capiz Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office has backed the Palina River Cruise.
Caption
The Palina River Cruise in Roxas City. (Photos from Capiz Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office)
