Tourism stakeholders in Ilocos Norte are planning to develop more budget-friendly destinations to attract travelers seeking affordable yet enriching experiences.
The Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO) identified this trend after nearly 350,000 day visitors were recorded in the province during the Holy Week.
Resyln Salud, a lodging house owner in Saud village, Pagudpud, reported being fully booked throughout the Holy Week. “Business is good. We had so many visitors during the weekend,” she said.
Accommodation data showed high occupancy rates, with Pagudpud leading at 97 percent, followed by Currimao at 75 percent, and Laoag at 60 percent. Many establishments were fully booked from Holy Thursday to Black Saturday, reflecting a strong interest in nature-based vacations.
Beyond popular sites like the UNESCO-listed St. Augustine Church in Paoay, Saud Beach in Pagudpud, and the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation in Burgos, tourists are increasingly visiting emerging attractions such as the Coastal Boulevard in Currimao, Sentinella Hill in Bangui, and the upland towns of Adams and Dumalneg.
In Dumalneg, known for Darna waterfalls, the clean Bolo river, and indigenous Isnag cuisine, Vice Mayor Fraincess Kwyn Espiritu noted a surge in visitors. “We haven’t finalized the visitor statistics yet, but I’m confident there was an increase because we ran out of tour guides,” she said.
Espiritu added that the town is planning capacity-building seminars and finalizing a tourism code to better manage the influx and further support local communities.
The Ilocos Norte government also pledged to improve services in high-growth areas and assist small businesses to adapt to emerging tourism trends.