Sustainable Ecotourism: The Case of the Riverine Communities in Capiz, Philippines

Abstract

The Capizenos had been firmly fighting the pandemic for almost two years. The province’s economy and the people’s livelihood had drastically fallen as the virus hindered the logistics, sales, and production efforts of the region. Capiz State University implemented the RISE Capiz (Riverine Improvement towards a Sustainable Ecotourism in Roxas City, Capiz) Program to address the gaps, challenges, and needs of the riverine communities within Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines. It aimed to establish a sustainable ecotourism industry in the riverine communities. This study involved a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The qualitative component utilized a citizen-centric community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) approach, ensuring river tour members’ active participation in the research process. The results indicate that the trainings were well received and have produced tangible outcomes in terms of increased income and improved livelihoods. The implementation of the acquired knowledge and skills has not only benefited the riverine communities, but also played a role in preserving the riverine communities. It is the hope that the impact of these trainings will be long-lasting and continue to provide benefits to the riverine communities in the future. The utilization of social media pages, as a tool for promoting RISE Capiz’s Palina and Cadimahan river tour operators and their offerings, was found to be an effective strategy.