Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron is pushing for a broader tourism direction for Puerto Princesa City, strengthening its established ecotourism sector while expanding opportunities in MICE, sports, cruise, and seafood culinary tourism.
Speaking before tourism stakeholders during the Tourism Summit held on September 16, 2026 at
Best Western Plus Ivywall Hotel, Mayor Bayron outlined the City’s plans to diversify its tourism products and further develop its major destinations.
“Tourism is our number one industry. We started with ecotourism, but now we are also focusing on MICE tourism, sports tourism, cruise tourism, and later, seafood culinary tourism,” Mayor Bayron said.
For ecotourism, the Mayor emphasized continued improvements to the Puerto Princesa Underground River and Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour, alongside the development of Balayong People’s Park, Acacia Tree Tunnel, and other attractions that could strengthen the city’s night-time tourism offerings.
Mayor Bayron also outlined plans to position Puerto Princesa as a major MICE destination through the renovation and expansion of the City Coliseum and the development of the Environmental Estate for convention facilities, hotels, restaurants, recreational attractions, and other tourism-related investments.
Sports tourism will likewise remain a major focus, with the Mayor pushing for more national and international sporting events in the city, alongside improvements to sports facilities and the promotion of water-based and extreme sports.
For cruise tourism, Mayor Bayron wants to develop more attractions near the city proper and repackage the city tour to give cruise passengers more activities and destinations during their stay.
He also identified seafood culinary tourism as an emerging opportunity once the Puerto Princesa Integrated Fish Port becomes fully operational.
The Tourism Summit brought together representatives from the Department of Tourism, national government agencies, tourism associations, industry players, and other tourism stakeholders and partners.
Mayor Bayron underscored the importance of sustained collaboration among the City Government, national agencies, the private sector, tourism organizations, and local communities in carrying out Puerto Princesa’s tourism direction.
Through the continued development of new tourism products and destinations, the City aims to attract more visitors and investments, encourage longer stays, and create more livelihood and economic opportunities for Puerto Princesans.
