Gov’t plans 2 new airports in Camarines Sur, Samar

The government is looking at developing new airports in two of the country’s increasingly popular tourist areas.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said it has invited independent consultants to conduct a feasibility study for a new airport in Camarines Sur in Bicol.

The DoTC described Camarines Sur as “the fastest-growing tourist destination in the country.” The move to develop an airport in San Jose, Camarines Sur, came up following the province’s sustained growth in tourism, the DoTC said. The lone airport in Camarines Sur is currently located at Pili town, a few kilometers away from Naga City.

In 2010, Camarines Sur overtook perennial favorites like Metro Manila, Cebu and Boracay as the top tourism destination in the country, according to the Department of Tourism. That year, 2.33 million visitors came to the province, visiting mostly the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) and Caramoan Island. The figure was 223-percent higher than the 721,024 visitors Camarines Sur had in 2008.

“Apart from CWC and Caramoan, other popular tourist destinations in the province are the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Church in Naga, the 19th-century churches in Goa, San Jose and Sagñay,” the DoTC said.  “It is also famous for the beaches of Sagñay, Sabang and Pasacao,” he said.

The DoTC said it was also looking for a separate consultant to conduct a master plan study for the Calbayog Airport. Calbayog is the biggest city on Samar island in terms of population. Apart from its growing economy, Calbayog is also home to a host of natural tourist attractions such as the Bangon-Bugtong, Tabokno and Pan-as Falls; the Danao and Guinogo-an Caves; Mapaso Hot Spring; Mawacat Slide; Binaliw Isle; and the beaches of Malajog, Naga and Bagacay.