Ilocos Region’s No. 1 Tourist Destination is Pangasinan Province
Based on survey hat is conducted by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the province of Pangasinan Philippines is the no. 1 tourist destination in Region I, the Ilocos Region. The former No. 1 tourist destination, the province of Ilocos Norte was overtaken by the province of Pangasinan in terms of tourist arrivals. In the survey under the leadership of Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr., the province of Pangasinan has a record of 41.47 percent tourist arrivals as compared to Ilocos Norte’s 35.64 percent.
According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), the province of Pangasinan Philippines has a huge leap and become the no.1 tourist destination since this province is only a tail ender among the four Ilocos provinces based on the number of arrivals last two years ago. AS part of the Governer of Pangasinan overall development plan, Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr. is pushing hard promoting tourism in the province.
One of the tourism program that the governor has improved is the grand transformation of the Capitol of Pangasinan Province that ha now become the premier tourist attraction and is also now the best capital in the Philippines. The Capitol of the Pangasinan is the centerpiece of tourism in the province. Not only the capitol building taht has been refurbished but also the Kalantiao, Malong and Finance buildings and its component areas such as the Veterans Park and Lingayen beach front. The provincial government-owned Capitol Resort Hotel has also been refurbished to serve as a venue for the various functions of the provincial government and the public.
One of the tourism program of the governor of Pangasinan, eco-tourism buses was bought by the provincial government to boost tourism. Using these eco-tourism buses, tourist can now reach to any point in Pangasinan after visiting capitol.
The provincial government also conducted Tour Guiding Seminar as part it’s Tour Assitance Program to provide tour and escorting services to Tour Operators. In these seminar, it produced seven DOT-certified/accredited tour guides. The Tour Guiding Seminar is the first ever tour seminar in the Province. The province has also 18 active tour guides who are all employees of the provincial government.
One of the tourism program of the Governor of the province of Pangasinan is the rehabilitation of the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center where it will host regional, national and international sporting events. Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr. is also planning to convert the 300 hectares of foreshore land of the province that is located in the northwestern part of Lingayen into a sprawling eco-tourist zone.
About 7,000 visitors and more than 16,000 others, mainly students from private, public, state colleges and universities, have already availed of the tour guiding services from the capitol to the different towns of the province.
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