LAOAG CITY — Low-cost tour packages in this northern gateway of Luzon are being featured at the 29th Philippine Travel Mart (PTM), the longest running travel trade show in the country.
Held at the SMX Convention Center of Mall of Asia in Pasay City from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, the PTM provides an avenue for various tourism stakeholders nationwide to promote their respective travel destinations.
For this year, Aianree Raquel, Supervising Tourism Operations Officer of Ilocos Norte, said, “We’re selling ‘IlowCost’ packages and pushing promos that have added value.”
Raquel said this is the province’s way of countering the impact of inflation–encouraging everyone to visit Ilocos Norte on a budget.
For as low as PHP499 per person, for example, one can visit various attractions in the province from Sept. 1-Dec. 15, 2018 if they avail of this promo and make reservation with budget hotels or authorized travel agencies.
While promoting the province as a wedding destination, Raquel said the Ilocos Norte government is having an experiment — offering an Ilocos wedding package worth only PHP15,000.
“Let’s see if someone gets interested,” said Raquel, as the wedding package is inclusive of a civil wedding fee at the mayor’s office, round trip fare to Ilocos Norte, hair and make-up, bridal bouquet, groom’s boutonniere, photographer, lunch for five, two-night accommodation, and a wedding venue.
The provincial government is now a regular participant at the PTM, the biggest tourism fair in the country. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
