LAOAG CITY – The heritage town of San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte won the Best Tourism research at the PEARL Awards of the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines (ATOP) in Tagaytay City on Thursday.
Provincial Tourism Officer Aian Raquel on Friday lauded the municipal tourism office of the San Nicolas government for its research called, “Pamana sa Mata ng mga… Bata?: A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of the Student Tour Guides on Heritage Sustainability – the Case of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte,” a part of the town's cultural-heritage mapping project aimed at preserving and promoting its heritage.
The project was done in cooperation with the Department of Education, the Department of Tourism, and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Graduate School – Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics.
"Indeed, the outcome of cultural heritage mapping is useful to the local community's endeavors,” San Nicolas tourism officer Richie Cavinta said as he thanked the 16 pupils from the San Nicolas Elementary School who take turns as tour guides at the Museo San Nicoleño, which is popularly known as “Buabo-buabo”.
The research study was written by Jame Monren Tapalla Mercado, dean of the UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
From the point of view of the student museum guides, Mercado offered recommendations on how to safeguard and develop the town's heritage that could be used for local policy formulations in the future.
For her part, museum guide Precious Kylee Bernardo said a subject she had when she was in Grade 5 that included local heritage appreciation made her realize the invaluable contributions of their forefathers to develop their hometown into what it is now.
“As a museum tour guide, I came to realize the importance of conserving and safeguarding our local heritage, which we must pass to the next generation,” Bernardo said in an earlier interview.
Ilocos Norte had already won the award of Best Tourism-Oriented LGU in the Philippines several times (2nd runner-up in 2019, 1st runner-up in 2016 and 2017, and Grand Winner in 2018) in recognition of its contribution to the promotion of heritage and culture in the country. (PNA)
