He said the tourism industry is the backbone of the island’s economy, and this is why he will use whatever resources are available to bring in more visitors.
The issue of security was raised during the meeting.
“We are very concerned because a lot of tourists report getting robbed or their cars being burglarized while they are out sightseeing, and this can scare other tourists,” Rotarian Ely Stoilova said.
She also noted that most of the tourist sites have no restrooms.
“My office will look into these concerns. I know these are issues that need to be addressed and we will do all we can to get more tourists visit our island,” Flores said.
He said he is currently focusing on clearing the tourist spots of stray dogs.
“We had been fighting this problem for a long time, but we are starting the construction of the long-overdue animal shelter in Lower Base soon,” Flores said.
He reminded Rotarians that he, too, was bitten by a stray dog.
Flores said his office is also looking into opening other World War II sites for tourists.
“We are inspecting and identifying sites that can be accessed and developed for tourism, areas that have World War II relics like bunkers,” Flores said.
He will meet with the secretary of the Department of Public Lands to present his plans.
“We hope we can create new eco-trails leading to these sites and make them accessible and add to the existing attractions for tourists,” Flores said.
