A trip to remember in the Ilocos Region
Aside from its one-of-akind tourist destinations, the proud and beautiful Ilocos Region has a unique characteristic: it makes fun of its eccentricities. During a stopover at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center, the tour guide proudly told members of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) that the former president still holds the highest passing mark at the bar examination with a score of 98 percent.
But anecdotes about some famous Filipinos who can trace their ancestry to the Ilocos Region belie the fact that it is a place where humor abounds. Once the PTAA members boarded their bus upon arrival in Ilocos Norte, the tour guide bombarded them with funny and witty stories, which could somehow be lost in translation for those who, for good or bad, want to be politically correct. Imagine words like utong, kagatiti, poqui-poqui, and the phrase “nag-bayag ni manong” being thrown. People would probably be scandalized if those words were not understood in their proper context.
And then there was the Taoid Museum where a retired teacher, acting as museum guide, told to the PTAA members that snakes and lizards are key to longevity and fertility, and that anger and deep-rooted frustration can only be assuaged by the taking of heads or lives.
A second look
This was the second time the association has taken its members to the Ilocos Region for a familiarization tour. As PTAA 2017–2018 vice president for inbound Danilo Cerdeña explained, there are new developments in Ilocos that would likely attract the interest of travel agencies.
Under Cerdeña’s watch, all the PTAA domestic familiarization tours have been to destinations that have yet to reach the collective consciousness of the public. These are destinations that are on the rise but would need a push from organizations like PTAA to reach a level of awareness.
It is an approach that has worked well on both sides. The destination gets to be visited, scrutinized, experienced, and eventually promoted by the PTAA and its members. On the other hand, this expands the PTAA members’ products that they can offer to their respective clients.
The Ilocos Region has a tremendous opportunity to become a leading destination in the country with its whole range of offerings. From its pristine beaches, history and rich culture, to a wide array of gastronomic feasts, Ilocos Region has got it covered.
Department of Tourism Region I chief tourism operations officer Modesto Baloloy said they are trying to build up on the momentum of the past two years and they believe the PTAA can play a key role in it. He said that they are ready to roll out some new innovations including faith, farm and wellness tourism. At the same time, they are also looking at ways for more cruise ships to dock in the region.
The approach is to have a better mix of tourists coming in as compared to the current, which is 90-percent domestic market. International visitors to the province are still low with only a handful of tourists from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Its biggest market remains China and Korea but when compared to other destinations in the country, the numbers are still very minimal. What is exciting though is that Ilocos Region has seen visitors from farflung places like Canada, Mexico, and the United States in North America, and from Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Russia, even Switzerland in Europe. The biggest surprise from their data is that they have visitors from South America including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.
On the private sector side, the 25-company-strong Ilocos Norte Travel Agencies Association is very much excited to partner with the PTAA and eventually become members of the association collectively and individually. It is a network that is expected to work for both sides as new markets are expected to open between them.
Let the sun shine
The open roads and greens on every corner along the pathway is the first thing that gets the attention of the PTAA members. Even when there was rain or the threat of it, the heat and humidity in the region was also the most obvious. It was feverish at some point, which even the tour bus could not handle.
But it was nothing to complain about as buddies Chris Stolk and Mon Manotok would attest to. The two are good friends who have invested heavily on tourism in Ilocos. Stolk, who also goes by the name Meathead, is from Boston and established the popular Smoke Bar & Restaurant, while Manotok is the owner of the Kingfisher Hotel, which is now considered as one of the Top 20 kite surfing destinations in the world.
Served with some of the best merienda, including a longanisa burger and turon with ice cream, the two discussed how Ilocos is a unique tourism destination. They both attest that Ilocos is very close to having zero crime rate and that cost of living in the region is very low. Stolk and Manotok also said aside from being them obviously being trafficfree, Ilocos is also not hard on the pockets of tourists. They also cited the fact that Ilocanos are very friendly and, without naming names, they explained that they are not as commercialized as other tourism destinations in the country.
But becoming an emerging tourism destination, there might be some temporary drawbacks for the region. Kingfisher Hotel, just like some other establishments in Ilocos, might not be ready to handle very large tourist groups, especially the Chinese. This was something Manotok readily admitted.
Yet to some, handling big groups and high-profile events is already a normal activity.
Fort Ilocandia director of sales Sarita Ablan said they have recently hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the ASEAN Summit. They also regularly host large student groups from Metro Manila for educational tours. And just last month, they hosted Bench models for a photo shoot in the region.
Yes, Ilocos Region is definitely on an upswing, according to Ablan’s daughter Maria Triscia Alexandra or Trixie for short. The owner of Travel Up North said they are now offering a wide range of tour packages, including a four-day, three-night culinary tour where tourists will get to taste the various dishes Ilocos Region has to offer.
It was indeed a packed four-day familiarization tour for the PTAA members as they shuttled from one tourist destination to another, including a heritage walk in Laoag, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, the beaches of Pagudpod, Vigan City tour including the famous Calle Crisologo, La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc Shrine, and the Juan Luna Shrine.
Capping it all up was the sand dunes adventure in 4x4s and some sand surfing courtesy of Paoay Mayor Jessie Gallano, who said that the first PTAA tour of the region gave the public increased awareness about their municipality and their sand dunes.
Indeed, the PTAA has come full circle with the people and the destinations in Ilocos Region.