The Holy Week holidays gave me some time to see the countryside. It is a good feeling to appreciate the beauty of our natural environment, the landscapes, slopping hills, towering mountains, and long coastlines.

Many of us take these beautiful sights for granted, mainly because they are so common to us. We practically see them everyday.

But they are not to others – especially tourists.

Yes, we can expect many of them to come, if we try hard enough.

I don't even think we need to spend millions of pesos. I mean by “we” the people of Eastern Visayas .

They can spend for it. “They” means investors from other regions or other countries can help put up tourist facilities and invite travel agents who will then bring in thousands of tourists.

There is just one little thing we can start with. I refer to “signs”.

There is so much to be proud of and to advertise to tourists but we don't try hard enough.

I am referring to “signs” or “signboards” as in “karatula”. Be they “road signs”, “location signs”, “directional signs”, or “advertising signs”.

Let me cite an example. I drove to the Marabut Marine Park in Samar where Leyte Park Hotel has cottages and a cove fit for swimming. I almost went past the entrance, because there were no signs on the road telling me the Park was near so I have to slow down.

Here's another example. There are no signs leading to the road to scenic Dumpao and Sapao beaches in Guiuan, Eastern Samar and the attractions on the way to Barangay Sulangan where there is a church visited by thousands of people every year in some kind of pilgrimage. I have been there several times but I'm always careful to turn left at the precise part of the highway. And since there are no signs, the road seems to be longer than it seems.

What could be “models” for the signs that can be put up are those made by oil companies – large, readable, and well-placed. The large billboards of telephone companies are also excellent examples. If you are on a highway, you can read the billboards from afar.

We always have to assume that tourists (local and foreign) don't know their way around. So, let's make looking for our attractions an easy thing to do. We shouldn't keep them guessing and going the wrong way.

To the local governments and private business establishments concerned may I say, “Please put up the signs”.

They probably won't cost more than ten thousand pesos each, so they are not expensive.

Signs and tourism; they go together.