Pangasinan celebrates vibrant tourism

LINGAYEN — Pangasinan officials have declared September as Pangasinan Tourism Month to provide the needed linchpin in promoting the province’s vibrant tourism industry.
Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. signed Provincial Resolution No. 743-2014 adopted by the Sanguniang Panlalawigan declaring the month of September and every year thereafter as “Pangasinan Tourism Month” during its regular session on September 1.
Authored by Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim Jr., the resolution is in support of the observance of the World Tourism Day which is celebrated on the 27th day of September as declared by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the observance of the National Tourism Week every last week of the month of September as declared by Presidential Proclamation No. 894 dated October 3, 1996.

It is also in line with the provincial governments tourism development agenda.
This will help the aggressive efforts of Governor Espino to promote Pangasinan as a choice tourist destination and a venue for conventions, conferences, sports activities and other national and international events.
Since 2009, Pangasinan has been celebrating the Tourism Month every September and this has been the avenue of the provincial government to instil consciousness among the people about the tourism industry, according to Tourism Operations Division Chief Maria Luisa A. Elduayan.
She also said that this will further increase tourists arrival noting that the tourist arrival in 2013 reached 250,165, and peaked to 611,000.
“With the approved resolution, we can now plan and implement appropriate activities for the month-long celebration,” Elduayan said.
“There is a need to declare the month of September as Pangasinan Tourism Month in order to instill consciousness on tourism and raise awareness on the social, cultural, political and economic values of tourism among Pangasinenses,” Calimlim said.
Board members agreed in the resolution to strengthen and institutionalize the annual province-wide celebration and authorized the Tourism Operations Division (TOD) of the Office of the Governor to plan and implement the appropriate activities in support of the declaration.
Elduayan said her office has calendared information drives and awareness program seminars, tree-planting activities, coastal cleanups, and the First Pangasinan Tourism Summit and Skills Competition on September 25.
As the Tourism Month’s culminating activity, the new Manuel Quezon monument will be unveiled and a new zipline adventure on Quezon Island, part of the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos City, will be opened on September 28.
Elduayan said that for the past years, the province has an increasing trend of tourist arrivals with 250,165 tourists based on the accommodation establishments list and 611,000 visitors based on the arrival of guests in the province’s tourist destinations.