BALER, Aurora — The Provincial Tourism Office here is aiming for 1.35 million tourist arrivals this year.
Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of Aurora province, which is located in a horseshoe-shaped coastal valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean in northern Philippines.
Michael Palispis, provincial tourism office chief, said the 2018 target is 10 percent higher than last year’s 1.214 million tourist arrivals.
He said the steady increase in tourist arrivals in this province for the past years was due to their aggressive tourism promotional campaign.
He expects more visitors to come to the province due to improved infrastructures and tourism facilities.
“There is a big change over the past years. We now have a lot more hotel rooms,” Palispis said.
At present, he said that there is a total of 9,925 capacity rooms per day at various hotels, inns, lodges, resorts and homestay facilities that could accommodate local and foreign tourists.
Based on their records, the top tourist destinations in the province are the towns of Maria Aurora, Baler, San Luis and Dingalan.
He noted that the 400-year-old Balete tree in Maria Aurora town is the most visited tourist spot in this province. Known as the “Millennium tree,” it is said to be the largest Balete in Asia.
Other top destinations in Aurora province are the Museo de Baler; Doǹa Aurora; Ermita Hill in Baler; Ditumabo falls, Dingalan land mark and feeder port.
“We need to be more aggressive in our promotional activities so that tourists will continue to flock to Aurora,” Palispis said.
With the ongoing crackdown on erring establishments in the world-famous Boracay island, he said that there are some tourists who might also consider the province as their alternative destination.
Based on Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) records, tourist arrivals hit 1,214,478 in 2017 compared to 874,472 in 2016.
Rep. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, who was the sitting governor when tourism started to get boost in Aurora, said the province “self promotes” as a tourism haven with its pristine, white sand beaches, waterfalls, virgin forests and the historical and cultural sites.
The tourism industry in the province has been on an upswing since 2005 when only 8,744 tourists were recorded. In 2012, tourist arrivals reached 215,098, representing a whopping 2,351 percent increase over the eight-year period.
From 8,744 tourists in 2005, the number of tourists in the province grew to 11,534 in 2006; 10,782 in 2007; 27,935 in 2008; 54,886 in 2009; 68,395 in 2010; 123,293 in 2011; 215,098 in 2012; 273,187 in 2013; 684,977 in 2014; 778,917 in 2015; 874,472 in 2016 and 1,214,478 last year. (Jason De Asis/PNA)
