Northern Philippine province of Ilocos hopes to hit 5M arrivals target by 2028

The office of the Philippine Department of Tourism in the Ilocos Region (DOT-1) announced an ambitious goal to hit over five million tourist arrivals by 2028.

Officials say that this will be made possible through various programmes and infrastructure projects.

Addressing a forum organised by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in San Fernando, La Union earlier today, 4th March, DOT-1 officer-in-charge Evangeline Dadat said they aim to register PHP6 billion in tourism receipts and generate at least 30,000 direct jobs within this period.

Dadat said: “DOT Ilocos remains steadfast in its mission to generate quality employment opportunities by diversifying our tourism offering and promoting both established and emerging destinations.”

Where the numbers currently stand

DOT-1 recorded about 1.8 million tourist arrivals, earning PHP3 billion in tourist receipts, in 2024.

However, Dadat noted that these figures came from only 53 percent of the local government units (LGUs) in the region.

The OIC then pointed out the need to provide LGU personnel and tourism professionals relevant training to increase compliance on data submission.

Delving into gastronomic and wellness tourism

In line with the Philippine Experience of the DOT, the regional office launched May-Kan, a gastronomy tour to promote food tourism, in 2023.

According to the DOT, May-Kan was taken from the Iloko and Pangasinan words “umay” or to come from one place to another, and “makan”, which means food.

Ilocos Region will also join the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto Asia and the Pacific in November this year to promote gastronomy tourism in the region, she added.

Under health and wellness tourism, Dadat said they are mapping potential sites in the region to develop tour packages, citing Balungao, Pangasinan and Cervantes, Ilocos Sur as among the areas being considered.

She said: “Tourists visited the country for medical tourism availing dental holidays, beauty travel, fertility intervention, and wellness vacation.”

In 2024, the booming industry attracted over 200,000 tourists from Guam, Papua New Guinea, United States, United Kingdom, Pacific Islands, Australia, and Hong Kong.