Isabela Province is Region 2’s Favorite Tourism Destination
For the Cagayan Valley Region’s tourists, Isabela remains to be the favorite tourism destination, with or without health pandemic.
Tourism statistics show that the province bested all the region’s four mainland Luzon provinces and the island province of Batanes in terms of visitor arrivals in the years 2019 at 437,058, 2020 at 279,291 and in 2021 at 226,686.
Why Isabela province? Let’s take a look at these data and information. . .
In the province’s vision, one sees and feels the province’s and its people’s desire to make it the region’s “Sentro ng Agri-Kultura” where one will find royal and regal experience and enjoy the perfect blend of natural beauty, agricultural wonder and the residents’ way of life during the years in review.
How did the Isabelinos do all these?
Through the years, the province, under the leadership of Governor Bodjie Dy and then, Governor Rodolfo Albano, basked on the following facts: Isabela is the Queen Province of the Philippines and the largest province in terms of land area and with the sobriquet “No. 1 surplus rice producer of the Philippines”, the country’s corn capital, home of the biggest corn processing facility in South East Asia (the Mindanao Grains), the country’s mungo capital and the home of the Magat Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant which is the major source of power in Northern Luzon. Both leaders and their teams worked on these blessings for the benefit of their province-mates and their tourists who are likewise consumers of homegrown products.
True enough. The abundance in the province’s agriculture has already inspired Isabela’s farm owners and managers of the initial 13 of the 28 DOT-accredited farm tourism sites in the region are on their way to upgrade their farm sites and which will eventually spell more income, job opportunities and more people appreciating agriculture as a way of life.
More and more road networks have already been constructed and rehabilitated including bypass roads to the delight of commuters who now experience shorter and safer travels to and from their destinations. Ancillary facilities to the tourism industry like dairy farms and pasalubong and souvenir centers, resorts and sports tourism facilities and others are likewise in place.
Most of the province’s celebrations almost always feature agriculture-based festivals to show the residents’ love for agriculture and tourism. The Bambanti Festival is the mother of all the province’s festivals stage every January.
Troy Alexander G. Miano, the provincial tourism officer, said the health pandemic did not hamper the province’s tourism industry as the local government ensured that the affected local industry workers got their share of the financial assistances from the national government to tide them over. The province received from the national government, through the Department of Labor and Employment under its COVID 19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) a total of P2 million.
“We look forward to brighter and more vibrant tourism industry of the province in the years to come with the different tourism stakeholders now fully charged,” the provincial tourism officer said. #PR/RTFAN/#8