Tourist arrivals in Hundred Islands up by 72%
ALAMINOS CITY— The Hundred Islands National Park (HINP), one of Pangasinan’s top attractions, was visited by 364, 577 local and foreign tourists in 2015, up by almost 72 per cent.
In 2014, the HINP had a total of 262, 458 tourists, or an increase of 102,119 in 2015 representing 71.98 percent hike in 2015, Solomon Tablang, head of the City Tourism Office told The PUNCH.
He said 10 percent of the visitors were foreigners, mostly Koreans, he added.
The statistics based on record of the City Tourism Office’s logbook for entrance fees of P40 and P80 for daytime and overnight stay, that generated P8-million in total revenues.
Tablang said tourists visit the HINP through information gathered from the internet, media news releases, word-of-mouth advertisement from people who have been to the islands and invitation from family and friends that focused on improvements of the local government unit headed by Mayor Arthur Celeste.
There are 12 developed islands, namely, Governor’s, Mayor’s, Quezon, Children’s, Romulo, Virgin, Marcos, Lopez, Clave, Cuenco, Martha and Sison.
The HINP boasts of its crystal clear waters of the islands believed to be formed about two million years ago, totaling 124 at low tide and 123 at high tide, scattered in Lingayen Gulf covering an area of 16.76 square kilometers. It has white sand beach, limestone rocks and cliffs, rich marine life, among others.
Aside from swimming, visitors can enjoy kayaking, helmet diving, snorkeling, cliff diving or simply sightseeing on board a motorized banca.
Two ziplines, 120-meter long in Quezon Island and 546-meter long in Governor’s, were put up under Celeste’s administration for more fun overlooking the coastal waters.
Tablang said they expect more tourists to come and visit the islands this summer. (Tita Roces)
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