BUENAVISTA, Guimaras (PNA) — The development of two eco-parks in this municipality is expected to boost efforts of Guimaras province to become an agri-ecotourism destination, according to Mayor Samuel Gumarin.

Gumarin disclosed that his administration will be focusing on tourism programs for the last three years of his stint, adding that the eco-parks now being developed in Barangay Dagsaan and Sitio Daliran, Barangay Old Poblacion are almost nearing completion.

Brgy. Dagsaan serves as host to a 30-hectare forest reserve which is being managed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Once the eco-park being constructed there is open to the public, visitors to the site can enjoy a panoramic view of Iloilo, he added.

According to Gumarin, the eco-parks will specifically benefit members of the Guimaras Upland Farmers Association. He also said that residents living within the forest reserve are being trained in implementing home-stay accommodations in anticipation of the influx of tourists.

Meanwhile, Old Poblacion, which is the former seat of governance in Guimaras, is being rehabilitated, starting with the restructuring of the façade of the old municipal building.

A natural swimming pool is also being constructed with waters to be sourced from a nearby spring inside a cave.

Gumarin added that even if the eco-parks are yet to be completed, there are already groups of tourists frequenting the area.

The two-ecoparks are expected to be open to the public before the year is over.