Iloilo tourism office pushes farm, cultural heritage as destinations

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ILOILO CITY – The Iloilo Provincial Culture, Arts, History and Tourism Office (PCAHTO) is focused on promoting agri-farms, culture and heritage, and eco-tourism sites as tourist destinations.

“We saw the value of farms not only as a playground for tourists but also in the production of food supply, which can help the other programs of Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. Our farms have huge contributions to our agricultural produce, and some activities in the farm to our tourist arrivals,” PCAHTO head Gilbert Marin said in an interview on Thursday.

Marin said that during the pandemic, farm destinations were the first to open because they have a wide space and fresh air for visitors to enjoy.

Their efforts are also geared toward the preservation, conservation, maintenance, and promotion of cultural heritage areas.

“It’s very important because one of the things that we lobby is for local government units to have a local ordinance to protect their cultural properties before anything happens,” he said.

The towns are gradually conducting their cultural mapping, a requirement under Republic Act 166 or the Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, he said.

Currently, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has accredited the Bucari of Leon, Bulabug Putian National Park spanning Dingle and San Enrique, Tinagong Dagat in Miagao and Lambunao, Sicogon Island as eco-tourism sites, and 10 more are waiting for accreditation.

Tourism arrival in Iloilo in 2023 reached 318,535, an increase of about 10 percent from the previous year.

Marin said the fifth district, where Sicogon Island is situated, posted with the highest traffic –around 40 percent of the arrivals.

The heritage destination in the first district of Iloilo came second, while the fourth district ranked third due to the staging of the national jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

The third district, known for its agri-eco destinations, came in fourth, while the second district, with its eco-cultural destinations, ranked fifth in arrival.