‘Apayao tourism slowly getting off the ground’

By Redjie Cawis

BAGUIO CITY -- The tourism industry of the Apayao, the youngest  province of the Cordillera, is  slowly developing, according to  Provincial Tourism Officer Rebecca Tamaken.

In an interview here,  Tamaken said their local officials led by Gov. Elias Bulut Jr. and Rep. Eleanor Begtang, have done a lot of development projects in the province to improve the tourism industry in municipalities.

The province has started its infrastructure development with the building of better roads  that connect connecting Kalinga and nearby provinces of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan.

In February this year, the province  hosted  for the first time  the  Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association meet coinciding with  the Regional Development Council with Sen. ChizEscudero and former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairperson and now Sen. Grace Poe as guests.

The provincial government has  constructed the Apayao Ecotourism and Sports Complex in Luna, Apayao which saw more than 5000 athletes, officials and other guests.

Recently, the provincial government  also  headed a provincial tourism workshop to come up with a tourism master plan.

Tamaken said that they have completed their proposed tourism master development plan and it will be presented during the KapehansaKapitolyo monthly meeting on the first week of December.

She said the tourism plan they crafted was not only a plan to develop the province into a tourist destination but   also  took into  consideration aspects that would affect the province particularly its environment, social, culture and traditions, and  rich natural resources.

Apayao, the most forested province in the region is  dubbed as the ‘last frontier.

Meanwhile, Tamaken lauded the officials of Apayao for being supportive and in the forefront of developing the province into becoming one of the tourist destinations in North Luzon.

She said they are very eager in developing the province which is considered the poorest in the region not only in terms of tourism.

She added municipalities are becoming more active in supporting the tourism of the province with some having their own municipal tourism master plans.