GENERAL SANTOS CITY – A Briton living here for almost 15 years says the United Kingdom (UK) has lifted travel ban in this city and in nearby Sarangani Province due to the stable peace and order condition prevailing in the area.

British national Chris Dearne said both this city and Sarangani are part of the "Eastside of Mindanao," which the United Kingdom lifted the travel ban in the region’s provinces and cities under Northern and Eastern Mindanao.

"We have finally convinced our government to lift travel restriction in General Santos City and Sarangani because we feel safe in the area," said Dearne, former British Army officer, who now runs Cambridge Hotel Resort and a diving shop in the city.

The travel advisory says the UK government "no longer advises against all travel to the east side of Mindanao," an area not covered by the armed conflict between rebels and government forces, but enjoys stability, tourism potentials and economic opportunities.

The travel ban, however, remains enforced in all other provinces outside of the Eastside of Mindanao, particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the western provinces of the Island.

"I am optimistic that the lifting of the travel ban in General Santos City and Sarangani would attract more British nationals, especially those residing in Hong Kong and Singapore to come here," Dearne said.

Dearne is married to a Filipina, a resident of the city and former professor of Notre Dame of Dadiangas College, now Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, who worked in UK, where he met her.

As the core of his business in the service industry, the British national has been luring foreign and local divers to the deep famous Tinoto Wall in Maasim, Sarangani, known for its fabulous underwater site, and other dive spots along Sarangani Bay.