Tourism industry players in Sorsogon province are hoping to recover from the economic slump brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic after authorities recently downgraded the province’s alert status to level 2, prompting the easing of restrictions and reopening of tourist establishments after two years. Bobby Gigantone, chief of the Sorsogon tourism office, said the province reopened last week the “butanding” (whale shark) interaction in Donsol town following a multisectoral meeting which set the guidelines and protocols that would be implemented to ensure the safety of both tourists and locals. In a recent meeting with Donsol Mayor Josephine Alcantara-Cruz and representatives of tourism-related businesses, Herbie Aguas, Department of Tourism Bicol director, said the reopening of tourism activities in Donsol town would boost the local economy, which took a beating from the lockdowns and restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its variants during the past two years.

Arguelles, M. S., & Jaucian, M. (2022, February 25). Sorsogon wants tourists to see 'butanding' again. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A9.