Kalanggaman Island had 13,000 visitors in summer

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Friday, June 14, 2013

ALMOST 13,000 domestic and foreign tourists have visited Kalanggaman islet, the jewel destination of Palompon, Leyte during the summer months of April and May.

In an interview with Raoul Bacalla of the municipal eco-tourism office, he said the arrivals last April for domestic tourists were 5,474 and 485 foreign. In the month of May, there were 7,143 recorded tourist arrivals composing of 6,569 domestic and 574 foreign tourists, he said.

The island beckons with its unspoiled setting with azure waters, fine white sand, and sand bars at the eastern and western side.

Last month, the Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine had its pictorial in the island which will be published on its July or August issue.

Famous couturier, Dennis Andrade, brought along his models to the island for a photo shoot. He said he has been to the island a couple of times relaxing with friends. “You forget your worries away when you are in the island,” Andrade said.

Architect friends from Manila who visited the island for the first time were in awe. They chorused that Kalanggaman is a photographer’s haven and a must visit.

“We are happy with this development especially Mayor Ramon Oñate for our tourism industry, but as much as we want to, we can only accommodate 500 tourists a day in the island for security and safety reasons,” Bacalla said.

The eco-tourism office has also augmented the number of personnel in-charge of maintaining cleanliness in the island. “We added five staff of the existing personnel in the island. We want to show to our tourists that we are serious in protecting the ecological aspect of Kalanggaman for them to enjoy its beauty for years to come,” Bacalla said.

Last May 1, when M/S Bremen of Hapag Lloyd Shipping Liner anchored in the island, it earned P64,000 entrance fees from 124 foreign tourists on board.

During the visit of M/S Europa, the first luxury cruise ship that anchored offshore in Kalanggaman, the local government unit of Palompon got a whopping P164,000 entrance fees from nearly 400 European tourists.(Leyte Samar Daily Express)

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