Bukidnon: Highland Paradise Gearing Towards Digitalization

“Because tourism really needs good information, what to bring, what not to bring, what to expect, and even on how to protect the environment, you need the app. Sa tingin ko malaking tulong sya” – Governor Rogelio Neil P. Roque of Bukidnon.

Visitour PH is offering its platform to LGUs for free. The company believes that sustainable tourism can be achieved with the help of innovation and technology, which is why Governor Roque decided to partner with Visitour PH in hopes to digitalize the tourism industry in the province of Bukidnon.

In an interview, he said, “Well, there’s no reason I wouldn’t partner with Visitour PH as it will really promote Bukidnon and the tourism destination of Bukidnon, and it can help tourists (with) what to expect in Bukidnon. There’s really a lot of advantage to partner with Visitour”. When asked what has already been done, Governor Roque admittedly said that he was always looking for ways how to digitalize tourism to attract more tourists but had no idea how to jumpstart the vision, “right now, it’s not yet digitalized, so I was really thinking of, for back then, a year ago on how to digitalize it. Wala mang lumalapit saakin nuon so wala talaga akong idea, but right now, Visitour is here, I think we can really partner”, he said.

He also shared his stand on how to promote the many tourist destinations in Bukidnon, “before no, when we have meetings with the tourism officers in Bukidnon, I always remind them that if we don’t have yet good facilities in our tourism area, don’t promote it, baka masira lang”.

Promotion is not just the goal of his office in partnering with Visitour PH, he also wanted emphasis on the preservation and protection of Bukidnon’s rich environment – “in partnering with the whole province of Bukidnon, all the municipalities so that we can (advise) on how to protect our tourism destinations because that’s very important, not just to promote it but to even protect and preserve it.”, said Governor Roque. For as long as one can remember, Bukidnon’s charm is really from its cold weather brought by its geographic location and its lush environment, thus, preservation and protection is a priority to foster sustainability for both its local community and in the promotion of its tourism. In his statement, he added, “So that’s the long term that I see, magtulungan yung app and the province”.

He also expressed how the app can not just help tourists, but can also help Bukidnon. When asked what benefits can they gain from the partnership, he said, “Business-wise, we can gain and create more jobs. And then attract more visitors and see Bukidnon. If there are more tourists coming to Bukidnon, economically it will really help the province of Bukidnon”.

The governor was also very impressed when made aware that the Visitour app was developed in Bukidnon by IT graduates of Bukidnon State University. He jokingly said, “I was shocked. Akala ko yung mga good ITs nasa metropolitan areas lang diba, I didn’t know na naa diay taga bukid”. He also added, “I think we have really good pool of talents here in Bukidon, so we take advantage of it and we can develop more apps or digitalization in other sectors of our province.

Bukidnon is subdivided into 20 municipalities and 2 cities. Currently, Visitour PH was able to partner with 11 municipalities/cities, namely:

1. Kibawe
2. Dangcagan
3. Kalilangan
4. Valencia City
5. Cabanglasan
6. Kadingilan
7. Maramag
8. Manolo Fortich
9. Talakag
10. Malitbog
11. Pangantucan

The platform aims to be the dream travel guide of every traveler by becoming a one-stop-shop tourism app. Visitour PH also put emphasis on identifying sites that are friendly to seniors, PWDs, kids, and pets. With the help of the provincial government of Bukidnon, Visitour PH aims to partner with all 20 municipalities and 2 cities to bring all these perks for easier travel and information dissemination. Governor Roque was enthusiastic and eager to help Visitour PH realize this goal, he believe that all of Bukidnon should follow his lead. “I think they should, I think they will”, he said.

Download Visitour PH on Google Play or App Store and explore the tourist attractions in Bukidnon at the tips of your fingers.