BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The provincial government here is expecting an increase of tourist arrivals this year because of its nature and culture-based tourism attractions.
Marichelle Costales, Supervising Tourism Operations Office, said that from January to August this year, they have listed 95,428 tourists, over 70 percent of the 135,715 recorded visitors last year.
“These are tourists who visited the province overnight. We expect this figure to increase by the end of the year,” she said in a press conference.
Excursionists who visited nature and culture-based tourism attractions in the province grew from merely 85,000 in 2015 to 255,065 last year, Costales added.
The number of excursionist from January to August this year is already at 189,906, she said.
“Aside from our nature and culture-based tourism attractions, our excusionists also visited our historical and cultural events like the yearly Grand Ammungan Festival in May, among others,” Costales added.
The top four places visited by the excursionists were the Lower Magat Eco-Tourism Park in barangay San Luis in Diadi town, the Balete Pass in barangay Taactac in Sta. Fe town, the world-class multi-chambered Capissaan Cave System in barangay Malabing in Kasibu town and the Nueva Vizcaya People’s Museum and Library in Bayombong town.
Costales said the records of tourist arrivals were gathered due to the assistance and support of the local tourism officers of the 15 towns of the province.
She said the province has now 7 Municipal Tourism Officers who provide assistance to foreign and local tourists in their respective municipalities.
“This is an area where our Nueva Vizcaya Tourism Council is encouraging town mayors to look into tourism as one of the strategies for economic development,” Costales said.
