YACHT RALLY THROUGH BIMP-EAGA SEAS THIS YEAR

From Newmond Tibin

PAMPANGA (Philippines), March 26 (Bernama) -- Yacht owners and crew together
with key tourism players from the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East
Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) will embark on a yacht rally this year to promote
community-based tourism in the region.

Dubbed as "Sail BIMP-EAGA: Exploring Equator Asia", the yacht rally is not
only targeted for cruising yacht owners and crew, but will also benefit tourism
associations, venues and attractions, and local communities across BIMP-EAGA.

A statement issued by the Mindanao Economic Development Council said the
event would also present opportunities for regional tourism stakeholders from
both private and public sectors to highlight their tourist attractions and
services and in bringing tourism income direct to local communities and small
and medium enterprises.

"We aim to capitalise on the self-sufficient nature of cruising yachts to
bring visitors to venues in BIMP-EAGA," said Allan Riches, an executive member
of the association of travel agents in Brunei and organiser of the event, in the
statement.

He said that in the short term, the rally yachts would themselves buy
travel-related products and services in the places they stop.

"In the long term, the publicity and awareness they create among yacht
owners, via their yacht websites and blogs, travel magazine articles, will
magnify the number of visiting yachts way beyond the numbers we expect to have
in the actual rallies," Riches added.

The rally routes and stops in the Philippines would be developed based on
recommendations from the local tourism councils who would identify venues,
attractions, tours that would be promoted, he said.

The yacht rally was adopted as a key element in the joint tourism
development marketing strategy during a BIMP-EAGA Strategic Planning Workshop in
November 2009 in Kota Kinabalu and an outcome of the BIMP-EAGA Business Council
Sustainable Community-based Ecotourism Conference in October-November 2008 in
Manado, Indonesia.

Exact dates for various events are still being finalised and will be
available soon on www.bruneibay.net/bimp-eagarally.
-- BERNAMA