The multiplication of the same tourist attractions in the province lessens their value, Lila Mayor Arturo Jed Piollo said on Monday after two more towns following his municipality have also launched whale shark watching activities.

“Dili g’yud maayo ng sundog-sundog. It’s really detrimental to the province and our whole tourism industry,” said Piollo in an interview over station dyRD.

“Mura’g tulingan na ni atong whale shark watching na kada lugar naay parehang attraction. Mura’g gi barato g’yud nato og taman,” he added.

According to Piollo, having more sites for encounters with whale sharks or butanding would be more difficult to regulate and lead to environmental violations.

The mayor called on Department of Tourism and Department of Environment of Natural Resources to intervene and choose just one town as location for the tourist attraction.

“Kung ako lang ipa reboot ni or undangon na tanan and then tan-awon nato og asa mas maayo na nagsunod g’yud sa guidelines g’yud sa DOT. There should be a decisive move from the DOT,” he added.

Whale shark watching started in Lila as early as 2019, while Alburquerque followed suit in late 2023. The latest to offer close encounters with the marine animal is the town of Dauis which started in December last year.

Piollo admitted that the number of tourists visiting Lila’s whale shark watching site has dwindled since Alburquerque and Dauis started to offer the same tourism activity.

Both Alburquerque and Dauis are closer to Tagbilaran City and Panglao, where the province’s main seaport and lone airport are located, respectively.

“Naa daghan na paagi para mo kita ang lungsod but yes, we will be affected kay amoang budget is based on the projected income ana [whale shark watching],” said Piollo. (A. Doydora)