ILOCOS INFLATABLE ISLAND. An inflatable island is being set up at Paoay Lake which is expected to open this December. The province of Ilocos Norte continues to invest in outdoor tourism as part of its economic recovery amid the pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte Tourism)
LAOAG CITY – The province of Ilocos Norte keeps on innovating outdoor sites as tourism stakeholders find ways to bounce back in the "new normal" amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
As 2021 ends, the Department of Tourism (DOT) along with the 21 towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte are rebooting the province’s tourism development framework focusing on promoting more outdoor sites to attract tourists with no more testing required at the provincial borders for fully vaccinated individuals.
As of Dec. 22, 2021, the Pinili tourist triage has registered a total of 15,741 tourists since Oct. 1, 2020, with more tourists arriving when Ilocos Norte started to relax its travel protocols among returning residents and later on, to all fully vaccinated tourists including minors traveling with adults.
From Dec. 1 to 15, provincial tourism officer Aianree Raquel reported on Thursday that 3,715 tourists visited Ilocos Norte.
Most of the local tourists came from Nueva Ecija, Baguio City, Benguet, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, and Zamboanga Sibugay. Visitors from Metro Manila also eagerly made their way to the north.
The number is a big jump to the 65 visitors recorded during the same period last year.
“The 5,891.94 percent increase is just for inbound visitors, and does not include data for locals,” Raquel added, citing more tourists are expected to visit the province until the year-end following more relaxed entry guidelines.
'New normal' sites
Seen to jumpstart tourism recovery amid the pandemic are scenic bike trails in various parts of Ilocos Norte.
At least 12 scenic bike trails are being promoted in Ilocos Norte which will soon be incorporated as an additional alternative for leisure travel.
In Ilocos Norte, the bikers’ community has grown to around 30,000 as compared in pre-pandemic times when there were less than 5,000 of them, said Roja Burgos, coordinator of Ilocos bikers group Team Burgy x Ilocos DH racing Team.
The province offers something for environmentalists and nature lovers with the opening of a bird-watching circuit recently launched at the Paoay Lake Natural Park to help spur the local economy in the area, DOT Regional Director Evangeline Dadat said in a recent interview.
Before the pandemic, bird watchers frequent the lake, for a chance to see the great cormorant, a migratory bird known for its matted feathers, along with other bird species.
Based on the latest Asian Waterbird Census, the Philippine ducks are commonly seen in the area with an average number of 600.
The cormorants are also commonly seen at the lake wetlands, around 10 of these or more at a time. The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has also noted that Paoay Lake has been providing shelter to other bird species like the Little Grebe, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Tufted Duck, White-brow Crane, Common Kingfisher, White-collared Kingfisher, and the White-throat Kingfisher.
Aside from bird-watching, tourists can also enjoy a quick run and swim in the planned inflatable island being set up at Paoay Lake expected to open this December.
The PHP 26.1 million-worth waterpark is said to be the beginning of a long-time wish of the Ilocos Norte government to activate the Paoay Lake for tourism and investment opportunities.
“I do love our place for having such a healthy and grandeur lake. Its beauty and cleanliness have been preserved for our next generation to see and enjoy," said Claire Tabili, a resident of Nagbacalan village, just a stone's throw away from the landlocked lake.
“Before the pandemic, we used to sell grilled food by the lake and earn extra because of tourists buying refreshments and snacks from us,” she recalled.
In Batac City, stall owners selling the famous empanada made of grated papaya, mung beans (monggo), egg and longganisa (local sausages) are lately running out of stocks before closing time because of pop-up events being organized by various groups including some newly-opened outdoor attractions in nearby towns of Paoay and Currimao.
“We are grateful for the government support as our sales have slowly increased this December because many people are now going out to enjoy the outdoors,” said Rolen Oracion, one of the stall owners at the Batac Riverside Empanadaan.
To help spur economic recovery, the city government of Batac has also introduced a boat-riding and kayaking adventure at the Quiaoit River to attract more visitors.
“We keep on pushing for tourism hoping that 2022 will be a better year for all of us,” Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said during a Christmas caravan in Paoay town on Thursday.
Recovery Assistance
To help displaced workers in the tourism industry due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), through the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO), has sustained the Tourism Livelihood Continuity Program (TLCP) to aid daily wage earners, informal workers, and freelancers.
Government data shows more than 1,250 beneficiaries from around 300 tourism establishments in the province worked for 10 days under the supervision of their employers and received a salary amounting to PHP4,000.
Over 2,000 restaurant workers, travel and tour staff, senior citizen tour guides, accommodation staff, destination workers, vendors of local products, souvenir makers, events and freelance artists, heritage artisans, and other workers in the tourism and cultural sectors have been assisted through the TLCP.
Solving traffic woes
Guided by the Metro Ilocos Master Development Plan of 2020, the province aims to develop more outdoor sites and update the Transport Master Plan of the province, incorporating bike lanes in areas with a growing traffic problem such as in downtown Laoag.
Priority areas are Laoag City Center, the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes located in Paoay and Laoag, Paoay Lake and Malacañang of the North, Badoc Gateway and La Virgen Milagrosa, Kapurpurawan Geo and Renewable Energy Park, Saud Municipal Beach, and the Solsona-Apayao Road Mountain Tourism. (PNA)
