TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) - - The Department of Tourism - Region 2 (DOT-2) has recently conducted a convention for stakeholders in the regional tourism sector at the Go Hotels in this city.

The event served as a channel to publicize the agency’s achievements and upcoming projects, as well as relevant statistics concerning tourism in the entire Cagayan Valley.

According to Senior Tourism Officer Romeo Caranguian, Jr., the DOT-2 works ceaselessly in uplifting regional tourism as evident in the upcoming tourism circuits and destinations such as a “Bastion of Faith” circuit in Cagayan, a culture and heritage circuit in Isabela, and a new tourism branding focusing on the natural landscapes of Sta. Fe in Nueva Vizcaya ,among others.

As regards tourism statistics, Caranguian reported that the leading foreign tourists in the Valley in terms of population are the Chinese, followed by Americans, who in the thousands outnumber other foreign visitors such as South Koreans, Indians, Thais, and Japanese, who follow in rank respectively. 

The growing number of DOT-accredited tourism enterprises and trainings conducted for tourism workers were also presented during the program. 

Verna C. Buensuceso, OIC-Undersecretary for Tourism Development, also shared strategies and innovations in tourism product development as support to the upliftment of Region 2’s tourism sector.

Earlier, the DOT-2 established the “Amazing Santa Ana” and “Zininaga nat Tuguegarao” tourism circuits in Cagayan, which are only two from the line up of various projects the agency is undertaking across the region. (JKC/PIA-2)