A couple of weeks ago, the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) gathered together all its member establishments from Luzon to update them on the latest offerings of the area.
With the theme “Luzon Tourism Is Back And Ready”, the virtual meeting featured presentations from the tourism directors of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), and Regions I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, and V.
The forum was co-sponsored by the Department of Tourism and AirAsia, with the latter commendable for its generosity of transporting vaccines to many parts of the country for free. The airline, which has a website with more than 21 million contactable members, a Facebook account with 12.6 million followers, and an Instagram account with 169,000 followers, offered TCP access to its social media platforms for maximum exposure of the organization’s activities.
Regional Director Jovita Ganongan of CAR (Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province) highlighted the region’s nature tourism attractions, inviting everyone cooped up in their homes to “breathe in nature”. The region also offers faith-based tourism through its Christian Jubilee Pilgrimage, celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the country. For those who feel lost, CAR puts across a heartwarming invitation with the tagline, “Find Yourself In The Cordilleras”.
Region 1 (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan) expects to initiate the revival of its tourism industry through the Ridge and Reef Travel Corridor which allows neighboring provinces access to its tourist attractions, as explained by Regional Director Joseph Francisco Ortega.
Ortega also introduced VISITA, or Visitor Information and Travel Assistance App, which monitors visitor influx and provides faster and more efficient contact tracing. I’m sure the region’s current tagline, “Find The One In Region One”, will easily put some sparkle in the eyes of hopeless romantics.
Region 2 (Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino), represented by its director Fanibeth Domingo, describes itself as “Islands and Valley of Fun” and Quirino province as a “Basket of Happiness”, offering visitors nature, adventure, sports, and cultural attractions. It looks forward to more visitors as it creates cultural thematic circuits, and tourism corridors with North Luzon provinces through the newly opened Cagayan North International Airport.
The “Never-Ending Escapades” of Region 3 or Central Luzon (Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales) are expected to draw in the tourists, especially with its “Slow Food, Slow Travel” promo. According to Regional Director Carolina Uy, the promo is a series of gastronomy-centric familiarization trips for established and emerging culinary destinations in Pampanga and Bulacan.
Uy is also looking forward to the success of their “Soul Circuit” Manila Bay cruise that takes passengers to tourist attractions in Cavite, Corregidor, and Bataan’s Las Casas de Acuzar.
CALABARZON or Region IV-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) offers a wide variety of exciting destinations for sports and adventure, culture and the arts, faith and pilgrimage, farm and ecotourism, sun and beach. Regional Director Michael Palispis emphasizes that the region’s main strength is its location – closest to the National Capital Region – making it easily accessible to residents of the metropolis. The region is also proud of its REINA Tourism Cluster Circuit, composed of the towns of Real, Infanta, and General Nakar in Quezon, which has become a favorite of nature trippers, adrenaline junkies, and history buffs.
Regional Director Christopher Morales of MIMAROPA, the Southwestern Tagalog Region or Region IV-B (Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) announced the re-opening of their popular tourist magnets. The region’s tourism gems include El Nido, Coron Calamianes Islands, Puerto Galera, Puerto Princesa City, and San Vicente in Palawan where the 14-kilometer Long Beach, the longest white beach in the country, is located.
Region V or the Bicol Region (Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Masbate), through its Regional Director Fe Buela, proudly announced that 80 percent of their attractions are now open to domestic tourists while 95 percent are open to its residents. She bannered their premier sightseeing tour, “Center of F.U.N. (Farm, Faith, and Food Under The New Normal)”, which takes participants to interesting attractions in Camarines Sur and Albay.
The region also offers a Drive and Dive Tour in Legazpi City, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy the dive sites in Ticao Island, Tagdugan Reef, Manta Bowl, and San Miguel Island, all rated “A” by divers from here and abroad.
With all these attractive and exciting destinations ready to take in our domestic tourists, our industry is certainly ready to bounce back, and will soon be on its way to recover lost ground. I’m glad Luzon is back and ready!
YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE
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