Travel agencies push Northern Phl as next tourism frontier

MANILA, Philippines - One of the country’s biggest travel groups is pushing for the promotion of Northern Philippines as the next tourism industry frontier.

Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA)  president John Paul Cabalza said the full potential of both Ilocos and Cagayan as prime tourist destinations remain untapped even as accessibility and infrastructure in the two provinces have improved over the past several years.

 â€œNorthern Philippines have a lot to offer in terms of tourism. They both have adventure and eco-tourism.  They have some of the most pristine white beaches in the Philippines and the food there are also some of the best in the country,” Cabalza said.

“Those two destinations can easily be reached with daily flights or buses that operate in the region from the National Capital Region.  Tourists going to Ilocos or Cagayan also need only to spend P5,000 a day to enjoy their stay there,” he added.

PTAA recently took its members on a familiarization tour of Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte and is planning to do the same in Cagayan in cooperation with the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

Last month, CEZA officially became a member of PTAA. It targets 100,000 tourists this year which will represent a 33 percent jump from arrivals last year.

“Just like what we did for Ilocos, we will also do for the province of Cagayan.  We will take our members there to see the business potential of the province and have them establish networks with local tourism players.  We want to create awareness on the province,” Cabalza said.

CEZA is projecting an 80-20 percent mix in its tourist arrivals, which remains largely dominated by tourists from mainland China because of the developed gaming facility in the economic zone.

CEZA also boasts of Palaui Island, a beachfront named by CNN as among the 10 best beaches in the world, along with 17 other resorts.

PTAA, with more than 500 member companies nationwide, is the leading partner of the government in the promotion of the country’s tourism industry.  It has links to regional and provincial tourism associations in the country.