LAOAG CITY — Quality products from the north are among the biggest hit again at the 28th Philippines Travel Mart Expo at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
Aian Raquel, head of the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office, said the Ilocos Norte booth is a constant head-turner worthy of Instagram and other social media posting as it features the best travel deals and all new products and services of the province.
Raquel said this year’s booth entry was conceptualized by set designer Ohm David, inspired by Ilocos Norte’s popular landmark particularly the UNESCO-World Heritage site of St. Augustine Church in Paoay town and the sand dunes.
Held on September 1-3, the event showcases products like airways, tourism packages, travel care services, to that of resorts, and transportation facilities associated in travel and tourism industry.
Like in previous years, Ilocos Norte products featured in this event continue to attract tourists to visit Ilocos Norte with 555,176 recorded visitor arrivals in 2016 or a growth rate of 79 percent compared to 2015.
Organized by the Philippine Tour Operators in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), Raquel said the event is a good venue to present the province as a major tourist destination.
Of the more than 2 million tourists that visited Region 1 last year, records from the Department of Tourism showed that Ilocos Norte has the highest response rate from advertisement or product
promotions.
Aside from domestic arrivals, its top foreign market includes China, United States of America, Canada, South Korea and Australia, among others.
Ilocos Norte is among the top 10 tourist destinations in the country, favored for its pristine beaches, rich culture and heritage, gastronomic delights, water and land sports adventure and geological wonders that can be easily reached by land or by air. PNA