Taklobo Tours: Giant Clam Conservation in Samal Island, Philippines
A destination with a Mission
Taklobo Tours is an ecotourism destination which highlights Tridacna species, their unique characteristics, conservation status, as well as the vital role of marine protected areas in safeguarding these benthic charismatic megafauna. It is carried out with the noble goal of promoting biodiversity conservation and protecting threatened giant clam species, while enhancing ecotourism, strengthening local capacities, and providing livelihood opportunities for communities. As a result, the giant clam conservation initiative has not only contributed to the restoration of degraded reef ecosystems and heightened global environmental awareness but has also generated sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities which underscores the significant biological and socio-economic benefits of the conservation initiative.
Socio-Economic Impact of Giant Clam Conservation
For 22 years of operation, Taklobo Tours has 136, 005 total number of guests arrival from 2013-2025 (Figure 1A) and generated an income of Php. 14, 025, 305.00. For the last 12 months, it generated 8,647 guests arrival from October 2024 to September 2025 (Figure 1B). Taklobo Tours reached 69 nationalities and among the top 5 nationalities are Filipinos (91%), American (2.7%), Chinese (1.6%), Korean (1.3%), Japanese (0.5%) and others (2.9%). (Figure 1C). Taklobo Tours was also featured in several vlogs, webpage, media features and publications (Table 1), received multiple awards (Table 2) and has established partnerships and linkages.
