SULU: Local tourists continue to flock to the southern Filipino province of Sulu where beachfront restaurants mushroomed in recent years as a result of improved peace and order situation and massive infrastructure projects of local governments.

Gov. Sakur Tan said the provincial and municipal governments have ramped up their tourism programs to entice not only tourists, but investors as well.

According to the governor, Sulu is not only rich in culture, but its people — the Tausug — are known for their hospitality.

“We have vast natural resources, we have pristine beaches comparable to the best in the world. We have rich marine resources and we are all working hard to let the world know that Sulu is a magnificent place to spend the holidays,” he said by phone from his office in Patikul town after a meeting with officials from the Bureau of Tourism of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Tan also said he and Tourism Regional Director Marites Maguindra and John Lomboy, the chief of the Regional Tourism Operations, and senior tourist police officers discussed various tourism programs for Sulu, including workshops and seminars for tourism operators and other stakeholders.

“The government must take the initiative to jumpstart the tourism industry here in the province. We must work in partnership with other government agencies and entities, toward the creation and provision of the necessary support facilities and amenities. Organize resort owners and provide proper training in the management of their business, to professionalize the tourism service provider sector,” he added.

“This is now the time for investors to take a serious look at Sulu’s potential, the improved climate of peace and order is now conducive for the development of the local economy. We will ensure that the standard of services in Sulu is at par with other world-class and popular tourist destinations in the country,” Tan said during the meeting.

“The vast potential of the tourism industry is naturally embedded in the DNA of the Sulu landscape, given the full commitment and support to the development of tourism, Sulu can be one of the best tourist destinations in the foreseeable future.”

Last March, hundreds of people joined a marathon in Sulu dubbed as “Maimbung Color Blast Fun Run 2022.”

Several beauty pageants, including LGBTQ activities, were also held successfully in the province.

Tan said the huge improvement of the peace condition in Sulu did not come overnight, but was the result of long years of collaborative efforts of the provincial, municipal and national governments’ campaigns to lure rebels to return to the fold of the law.