Manaoag Basilica is Pangasinan’s top tourism destination
THE Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manaoag town remains the undisputed top tourism destination in the province of Pangasinan this 2023, according to the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO).
PTCAO head Maria Luisa Elduayan said the Basilica Minore attracted 5.2 million tourist arrivals last year, topping the province’s list of tourism destinations.
Second favorite is Bolinao town with its white sand beaches and top-class resorts with 644,572 visitors; Alaminos City and its Hundred Islands National Park is third with 519,907; Lingayen with 378,051; and Binalonan with 377,159 visitors.
Travel to the Basilica Minore has been more accessible since the opening of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). (Manaoag is only about an hour’s travel from either the Pozorrubio or Binalonan exit).
Overall, Elduayan said there were 8.4 million tourist arrivals in Pangasinan in 2023, two million more than 2022.
The increase in tourist influx in the province was attributed to declaration of long weekends and additional non-working days by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to boost local tourism and promoting travel.
Elduayan said majority of the tourists come from the National Capital Region and Central Luzon.
PTCAO said the province is slowly gaining momentum back to its pre-pandemic arrivals and is optimistic that arrivals can reach 10 million in 2024. (Ahikam Pasion)
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