VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) – To promote the rich culture of the province and boost its tourism industry, the provincial government will launch a month-long observance of the annual Ilocos Sur Tourism Festival, which begins on September 2.
Organized by the Provincial Tourism Development and Promotion Office, the festival was initially introduced in 2022 as a three-day event that conducted a series of activities to promote the province’s rich culture, tourist destinations, harvests, delicacies, and products.
It was then extended to a week in 2023, and in its latest edition for this year, it will be celebrated throughout the entire month.
“The festival will start with a grand parade. It will involve participants from the tourism industry, key players, tourism-related establishments, municipal and city tourism offices, and tourism organizations. The goal is to create and strengthen our network with each other,” said Provincial Tourism Officer John Noel Andaya in an interview on Thursday, August 29.
The One Ilocos Sur Tourism and Trade Fair is one of the highlights of the festival which will be held at the Capitol Quadrangle from September 2 to 8.
“Inimbitahan natin ang lahat ng local government units sa Ilocos Sur to showcase their One Town, One Product (OTOP) para ma-display [ang mga ito] upang malaman ng mga locals at mga turista ang kanilang mga produkto kasi ito ang goal ni Governor Jeremias Singson, na mas lalo pang makilala ang mga produkto ng Ilocos Sur,” Andaya added.
(We invited all local government units in Ilocos Sur to showcase their One Town, One Product, to display them so that locals and tourists will be aware of their products [that are not yet widely known], as this is the goal of Gov. Jeremias Singson, to promote the products of Ilocos Sur.)
On the same day, there will be a quiz bee and tour-guiding competition for tourism students in senior high schools and colleges in the province.
Andaya said that the tour-guiding competition will be divided into three rounds: local, regional, and national levels.
Open category competitions will be held, such as Toureelsmo, which aims to promote the province’s tourist attractions by creating video reels showcasing the potential, emerging, and existing destinations; and Tourismusika, a tourism jingle contest for use in various tourism activities in the province.
This year’s festivity will also unveil the Ilocos Sur Tourism Route and Innovative Packages (ISTRIP) competition, challenging talented tourism students to craft travel packages that highlight the province’s rich cultural, historical, and natural treasures, establishing a dynamic tourism circuit.
Apart from these, an extensive training session related to emergency medical response will be organized for around 50 tourism stakeholders from September 9 to 11 in partnership with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
A community tour-guiding seminar will be conducted on September 12-18 to train more tour guides in the province.
In collaboration with the Department of Tourism, this training program will be opened to tricycle drivers (tour cycles), kutseros, accommodation establishment staff, and students seeking part-time work in tour guiding during their studies.
Lastly, the “Naalibtak a Turismo (Vigorous Tourism Industry),” a training seminar aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of key players in the tourism industry, will be conducted on September 23-24, aimed at boosting their knowledge in financial literacy, protocol etiquette, and personality development.
“I would like to invite all Ilocos Sur residents and tourists who are planning to visit our province to come and enjoy our activities, especially the One Ilocos Sur Tourism and Trade Fair, to try our delicious products,” Andaya ended.
Through these events and more, the provincial government assures to offer an enriching and exciting opportunity for all those who are involved in the tourism industry within the province. (AMB/JMCQ/PIA Ilocos Sur)
