Ilocos Norte bags 2nd straight ATOP-DOT Pearl Award

Staff of the INTO along with city and municipal provincial officers celebrate the award given to Ilocos Norte.

Ilocos Norte Tourism Office)

By Mizpah Grace G. Castro

PGIN-CMO

Laoag City—For the second year in a row, the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO) won first runner-honors up for Best Tourism-Oriented LGU (local government unit) at the 18th Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines and Department of Tourism (ATOP-DOT) Pearl Awards held in Iloilo City on October 4-7, 2017.

The Pearl Awards was part of the ATOP National Convention, an event that celebrates the best of Philippine tourism through bringing together tourism officers and showcasing premier tourism practices, products, and service from all over the country.

Ilocos Norte tied with the Province of Samar for first runner-up, while Davao del Norte took first place.

Ilocos Norte is not new to hosting sports and athletic events, rewarding participants with breathtaking views and fresh air. Pictures are participants of a triathlon passing through Solsona, Ilocos Norte. (Alaric A. Yanos)

"We dedicate this award to all the hardworking private and public stakeholders, our PGIN family, and everyone in Ilocos Norte who have been supporting the tourism programs of Governor Imee R. Marcos," Ilocos Norte tourism officer Aian Raquel wrote in his Facebook account.

"We are committed to continuously working for all Ilocanos and to win bigger Pearl Award next year," he added.

"From the very start, during the screening, [everyone was telling us] that it was a very difficult competition, hence they decided to award two first runners-up," explained Xavier Ruiz, INTO tourism operations officer II.

Mr. Raquel said INTO is "truly honored to be with the best tourism provinces in the country!"

Mr. Ruiz added that a strong factor in the awarding process is "how [the local tourism industry] benefits people from across the province regardless of their levels of society, regardless of their gender, even, and whether they're directly or indirectly involved in tourism, so it's a good sign."

Also among the criteria were legislation, such as a tourism code, investment code, cultural code, and environmental code, which are all in place in Ilocos Norte for years.

For example, the province's cultural policy under Provincial Ordinance No. 041-2015 implements nine strategies for the protection and conservation of cultural properties, including the establishment of new art venues; training of for artists and a cultural workforce; and promotion of the province's cultural sites, products, and events.

Mr. Ruiz also cited the Media Incentives Desk (MID) under the Office of the Governor, which pioneered film tourism in the province through an exchange of benefits and promotion coordinated among local government units (LGUs), private establishments, and production companies looking to film within Ilocos Norte.

Other criteria were infrastructure, demonstrated with the province's master plan created by Palafox Associates in 2010, and public-private partnership, which are a staple in provincial events as INTO partners with private establishments and organizations like the Ilocos Norte Travel Agencies Association (INTAA), Bakers and Restaurants Association of Ilocos Norte (BRAIN), and Hostels and Restaurants Association of Laoag and Ilocos Norte (HARALIN) for nearly all activities, according to Ruiz.

Final screening of finalists was on September 22, involving a short presentation from potential awardees and a panel interview. INTO, headed by Mr. Raquel; senior provincial board member Matthew M. Manotoc; and local stakeholders from travel agencies, the academe, program beneficiaries like tour guides, and the youth sector coming from the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office (INYDO) represented Ilocos Norte.

INTO urges city, municipal tourism offices to participate in Pearl Awards

During the awards program, representatives from the Batac City, Dingras, Vintar, Sarrat, and Pinili were present, pointing to growing participation from local tourism officers of Ilocos Norte.

"We've encouraged them already to try to submit proposals and bids for other awards next year," Mr. Ruiz said, saying that INTO already sees potential for certain towns especially for best community-based tourism, best tourism association, and best sports event awards.

He added that the award is a "very good sign that we're actually doing something right in the Provincial Government in terms of tourism, and it would be good to see that even the efforts of our LGUs acknowledged as well.

"This is the largest and only nationwide tourism award as of the moment," he pointed out, thus "these are validations that our work in terms of tourism, related industries, and hospitality is recognized by the experts of tourism in the country," he stressed.

Ilocos Norte's tourism industry has experienced exponential growth since the start of term of Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos in 2010. From a total of 259,148 visitors in 2012, the province welcomed 2,031,884 tourists in 2016.