PANGASINAN TOP IN R1 TOURIST ARRIVALS

LINGAYEN–Pangasinan remained on top among all provinces in Region 1 in terms of tourist arrivals and the Department of Tourism (DOT) said the statistics could be higher with a better reporting system from lodging facilities.

DOT Region 1 Director Martin Valera, speaking during the province’s Tourism Month celebration launch at the Sison Auditorium on September 9, said “a lot of cooperation and collaborations” between the private and public groups are needed to improve the monitoring of tourist arrivals in Pangasinan and the rest of the region.

“As of now, we are only getting 30 to 35 percent reportage,” Valera told the media on the sidelines of the event.

This, he added, is the reason why Region 1 only ranks between14th to 15th among 17 regions nationwide.

“I don’t think ganoon tayo kababa in the number of tourist arrivals because we have more attractions than other regions of the country,” Valera said.

“Local hotels and inns must know how to keep a logbook of the guests they are catering, which is why Region 1 appears to lag far behind other regions of the country in terms of tourist traffic,” he added.

He also cited the number of pilgrims and devotees going to Manaoag, the pilgrimage center of Pangasinan, which could easily reach up to a million during the Holy Week and the local government must devise a system to record the number of visitors coming.

Valera stressed that the numbers are important because the higher arrivals reported means higher popularity and will translate to a higher promotional budget from the government.

Provincial Tourism Operations Division (PTOD) Chief Ma. Luisa Elduayan confirmed Valera’s claim saying many arrivals are under-declared as their monitoring is largely dependent on the reports from commercial establishments such as hotels and resorts and specific destination based on registry of guests.

Elduayan said the provincial government, in cooperation with the DOT, had conducted several workshops to teach representatives of lodging facilities on the online system of recording and submitting tourist arrivals.

PANGASINAN

Nonetheless, the DOT official acknowledged the partnership between the provincial government and the private sector in promoting tourism in Pangasinan.

“You (Pangasinan) are the biggest in Region 1. You have a lot of attractions and you are near gateways. Your government is very supportive and the private sector is aggressive,” said Valera.

For the Tourism Month celebration, Pangasinan is holding the Balitok A Tawir Year 3, the province’s culture and arts festival and the I Love Pangasinan tourism song and music video competition.

Balitok A Tawir is an inter-town performing arts competition including chorale singing, folk dance, and zarzuela.

The I Love Pangasinan tourism song and music video making competition is a new addition to the tourism activities of the province.

The winning entry will become the official tourism song of the province.

Governor Amado Espino Jr. said most of the activities are geared toward promoting love for the province among Pangasinenses.

“Hindi po natin kailangan ng ibang taong hindi taga-Pangasinan ang magsabing maganda ang Pangasinan, dapat tayo muna,” Espino said.—with report from Johanne R. Macob

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