Loakan Airport operation to up visits to Baguio, Benguet towns

By Susan Aro

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- The rehabilitation of Loakan Airport in nearby Baguio City and resumption of commercial flights will make destinations competitive in the BLISTT (Baguio City, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, La Trinidad, and Tuba -- all Benguet towns.

Anthony de Leon, chair of the Baguio Convention Visitors Bureau,  who was guest of honor in recenty Strawberry Festival here cited need for an airport even with opening of the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway  reducing travel time of the Baguio-Manila route by as much as one hour and a half.

One of the reasons Baguio was not considered in the schedule of the Asia Pacific Economic (APEC) Summit was due to the lack of safe airport which they have been lobbying with officials of Department of Transportation and Communications , Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the Department of Tourism .

That is why the group is lobbying  for resumption of commercial flights in Loakan Airport,  said De Leon, also the Baguio Tourism Council chair.

He expressed hope something will be done within the year.  

De Leon, a former vice president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, also shared advocacy of the group in terms of promoting tourism events such that areas within the country should not compete against each other but to level up its competitions within the ASEAN or Association of Southeast Asian Nations region to reach the 10 million visitors targeted by DOT in 2016.

He said is more important is the networking between Baguio City and La Trinidad and the rest of the Cordillera region  in attracting more local and international visitors boosting the tourism industry.

He cited the Baguio Panagbenga Flower Festival this year which involved the BLISTT areas and not merely a city celebration.

He was also impressed with activities of the Strawberry Festival which have leveled up and appreciated working relationships of the community and officials.

The real essence of the Strawberry Festival with the theme, “A Colorful Panaspulan tan Pandadsahan” (A Colorful Gathering and Merry-Making) according to Mayor Edna Tabanda is recognition of the multi-cultural composition of its people in the town coming together to celebrate the yearly festival which evolved through the years.