CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated (PamCham) vowed to assist in attracting more tourists in Pampanga.
PamCham, a catalyst in priming the countryside, recently held its first Tourism Committee Meeting for 2017.
PamCham managing director Jim Jimenez said the chamber organizes annually a special committee tasked to provide proposals, analyses, and policy direction to create synergy in tourism development through the combined efforts and resources of the local government and stakeholders.
“We created this committee to help strengthen Pampanga’s tourism industry. This committee aims to come up with some advocacies and plans that will help attract more tourists in the province. Each of our proposals, we will coordinate with the local government for them to mandate,” he said.
“We want Pampanga to become a top tourist destination in the country not just a stopover. We believe that the province have the attributes like hotels, dining outlets, and event centers that can accommodate our tourists and guests,” he added.
The PamCham tourism committee discussed during the meeting how to address the dwindling number of calesas and cucheros in the City of San Fernando.
In 2015, Jimenez said, there were more than a hundred recorded calesas in the city.
But in 2016, the City Government’s data showed that the number dropped to less than eighty.
The committee then suggested that promoting calesa tours will solve the issue.
Another proposal is the coordination with local tour operators who will help organize day tours at San Fernando’s heritage district which features historical sites like the heritage houses, capitol, and the old train station, among others.
PamCham Tourism Committee member Marilou Uy of Mekeni Food Corporation suggested that the committee should review the tourism profile of Pampanga, for them to be enlightened and updated on who are the industry players, what programs are available, and how can the chamber be more relevant.
During the end of the discussion, the chamber had come up with the idea of organizing a festival that represents the province — its tradition, and culture.
“At the end of the year, in time with the Gian Lantern Festival and the merriment of Christmas season, we are planning to hold the Pampanga Food Festival here in San Fernando. This festival will support and showcase Kapampangan cuisine as we will invite chefs, restaurant owners, and food enthusiasts to exhibit their signature Kapampangan dish for our tourists to enjoy. This event will be opened to members and non-members,” Jimenez said.
The director concluded that the committee will continue to contribute to the province’s goals of improving tourism competitiveness, sustainability, and inclusivity.
Member companies belonging to the chamber’s Tourism Committee are GRBank, Jean Michael’s Garments, MLG Advertising, University of the Assumption, Holy Angel University, BMware Software Development, Waltermart Shopping Center, Pampanga’s Best, Inc., Chef Liam’s Kitchen, and Mekeni Food Corporation.
