Local and international outdoor sports enthusiasts will gather at the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras for the third leg of the International Open Water Swim Circuit: Experience Water Visayas on June 29-30, boosting the campaign to make the province a premier sports destination and promoting environmental sustainability.

“It’s a different kind of event in the sense that it is a tourism event, but at the same time [it] focuses on the conservation and protection of our marine environment,” Department of Tourism (DOT-6) Director Crisanta Marlene P. Rodriguez said in a press conference.

While Western Visayas is endowed with abundant natural resources, Rodriguez underscored the importance of a functioning and healthy environment to promote tourism better.

“Tourism would be non-existent if there is no functioning and healthy environment,” she said.

In partnership with the Zamboanga Open Water Swimming Club, Inc., the first two legs of the swim circuit were hosted by Sipalay City in Negros Occidental on Feb. 18 and Sicogon Island in Carles, Iloilo on April 14, gathering local and international swimmers as young as seven years old.

The Guimaras leg will have three categories – 2.5km, 5km, and 7km – around the island.

“Our participants will come not just from Region VI. There are from Mindanao – Zamboanga, Iligan, Sultan Kudarat, Davao, Cebu, and Manila. So, from all over the country,” Rodriguez added.

It will be at the multiple-use zone of the marine reserve to prevent the destruction of marine corals.

Provincial Board Member Felipe Hilan Nava, chair of the committee on tourism, history, and culture, said hosting the event is another natural asset for Guimaras.

The province, Nava said, has a lot to offer in terms of sea activities, although it already hosted biking activities in the past.

“We are maximizing the potential of Guimaras. We still have lots of assets that need to be utilized and this international open swim completion is another asset for Guimaras,” he said.

Nueva Valencia Mayor Paul Vicente G. De La Cruz, meanwhile, said the event would allow them to showcase their municipality and bring more opportunities as it is labeled the tourism capital of the province.

“We consider this as a big opportunity for us to promote our tourism industry. The Taklong Island National Marine Reserve is something that we are proud of in our municipality,” he said.

The organizers offer no cash prizes to the winners of the swim competition because it is more of an advocacy event. The top three finishers, however, will receive medals.

The fourth leg of the event is set in Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan on Sept. 22.Perla Lena/PNA