Calbayog City in Samar is preparing its destinations to become part of the “Spark Samar” tourism campaign, the city mayor said on Friday.

Mayor Raymund Uy said the city has its operational airport catering to Cebu- and Manila-bound passengers and a seaport with regular trips to Cebu, paving the way for easier access to tourists.

“We see tourism as economic growth drive. We just have to improve our tourism sites. As part of our initial activities, we asked the Department of Tourism to help us come up with tour packages,” Uy said.

Among its tourist-ready destinations are Tarangaban Falls, Malajog Beach, Ridge Nature Park and Zipline, and Samar Archaeological Museum.

Uy said the political landscape in the past has excluded Calbayog City sites from the “Spark Samar” tourism campaign.

Launched in 2015, the “Spark Samar” tourism campaign aims to unravel the beauty of the province and overcome the negative image of being prone to disaster, poverty, and conflict.

The campaign uses tourism as a catalyst in addressing the problem by engaging and strengthening communities’ active participation in leading tourism-related activities in their respective areas.

Department of Tourism Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes lauded the city government for considering tourism as an inclusive growth driver.

“Exciting days are just around the corner for Calbayog City as they rev up their initiatives to spark tourism. We met to discuss the strengthening of Calbayog’s tourism team, the tasks of each team member, the realities and challenges of tourism work, the tourism landscape and value chain, the tourism goals we collectively wish to achieve in the coming days,” Tiopes said in an earlier statement.

Calbayog, the 6th largest city in terms of land and water areas in the Philippines, is known as the gateway to Samar province.

Dubbed the “City of Waterfalls”, Calbayog at present has a total of 22 waterfalls validated by the local tourism office.

From Manila and Cebu, there are flights directly to the city. There are also buses plying to Calbayog from Manila for a full-day trip.

The city is 172 kilometers north of Tacloban, the regional capital. (PNA)