BAGUIO CITY—The opening of chartered flights from Clark in Pampanga to Bagabag in nearby Nueva Vizcaya will contribute in significantly increasing local and foreign tourist arrivals in strategic tourist destinations in the Cordillera in the coming months, the regional office of the Department of Tourism said Wednaesday.
Maria Venus Q. Tan, DOT-CAR regional director, said the Clark-Bagabag maiden flight is scheduled on May 17, with 30-seater aircraft to be used.
Tan explained the Clark-Bagabag flight will happen every four days or 11 times a month, which will be a big boost in improving the local and foreign tourist arrivals in the region.
“We are elated there is an airline company that decided to service the Clark-Bagabag route through chartered fights, which would mean that all seats must be guaranteed to be taken. We want to bring in more tourists closer to their desired tourist destinations in the region,” Tan stressed.
The DOT-CAR official pointed out the 45-minute air travel from Clark to Bagabag and vice versa, and the 1.5-hour land travel from Bagabag to the rice terraces in Banaue “will definitely entice more nature lovers to visit the region’s major tourist destinations.”
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Heritage site, the rice terraces make Banaue a jump-off point toward other destinations in nearby provinces, such as the Sagada caves in Mountain Province, and white water rafting at the Chico River in Kalinga.
Numerous foreign tourists make long hours of travel from their countries of origin just to be immersed in the rich culture of the Filipinos and relax in the different beaches of the country, Tan said.
Thus, the opening of the Clark-Bagabag flight will be a big boost to the efforts of concerned government agencies and local governments, she added.
Tan emphasized the agency does not plan to make the region as a mass tourist destination, but it just wants to have a share of the increasing number of foreign and domestic travelers wanting to have an unforgettable experience in going around the scenic spots around the Cordillera.
She assured local officials that the tourism department remains committed in extending the necessary assistance for the sustained promotion of the region as a cultural immersion site of tourists because of its scenic destinations and rich biodiversity that must be preserved and protected for the benefit of the present and future generations.
Tan claimed one of the major thrusts of the tourism department is for the sustained preservation and protection of the scenic tourist destinations around the region to avoid the commercialization of the tourist spots.
