Another Boracay Jimenez says Aurora a potential tourism giant

BALER, Aurora – He came, he saw and was conquered.

          Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. visited this province on Monday and went home heaping praises on its natural wonders, saying it has the potentials to become a premier tourist attraction or another Boracay.

“I have seen maps of the world and I have seen enough to say that Baler and Aurora is right up there with the most breath-taking places in the world with its mountain, sea and plant life,” he said.

He said he also traveled to the famed Dicasalarin Point. “Up there, it was there when I said that the Philippines is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world,” he added.

He said he has seen the artists’ village – the first such iconic structure on culture and arts in the country and was impressed.

The project, a brainchild of the Angaras, serves as the private counterpart of the Cultural Center the Philippines and provides a venue for seminars, workshops and lecture series on various art disciplines such as music, theaters, literature, dance and visual arts.

Jimenez, who was here as guest of honor and keynote speaker during Monday’s 12^th anniversary of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day and the 115th anniversary of the “Siege of Baler,” said he has also gone to Casapsapan Beach in Casiguran town and said it could potentially be a magnet to tourists.

Jimenez said though that it would take a lot of infrastructure development and private sector-led investments to harness the potentials of Casapsapan Beach, a white sand beach located in northern Aurora.

When asked if the province has the potentials to become another Boracay, he replied “it depends upon the people in the place because the development of tourism is really locally initiated,” he said.

He said though that the Department of Tourism, which has espoused the slogan “it’s more fun in the Philippines,” can help in tourism promotion.

Located in a horseshoe-shaped coastal valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean some 230 kilometers from Manila, the province has become famous as a tourism haven with its pristine, white sand beaches, surfing sites, dive spots, waterfalls, virgin forests and the presence of historical and cultural sites.

According to the provincial tourism office, the tourism industry continues to flourish with tourist arrivals passing the 200,000 mark for the second year in a row.

Michael Palispis, provincial tourism officer, said that tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2014 have already surpassed last year’s total.

Palispis said the tourism industry in Aurora has come a long way since 2005 when only 8,744 tourists were recorded, representing a whopping 2,351 percent increase over the eight-year period up to 2012.

He said the improvement of access roads in known tourist spots, particularly in northern Aurora to further increase tourist arrivals is being prioritized to further boost tourism.

          Ana Riza Mendoza, provincial tourism operations officer,  said back in 2005, it was very hard to get to Aurora from other places.

She said that before, April and May were considered the peak months for tourists who arrived in busloads.

“But now, there is no more peak season. They now arrive during weekends and during long holidays,” she said.

          From 8,744 tourists in 2005, these grew to 11,534 in 2006; 10,782 in 2007; 27,935 in 2008; 54,886 in 2009 and 68,395 in 2010, 123,293 in 2011 and finally, to 215,098 last year.

          Jimenez stressed that the Aquino administration is targeting domestic tourism to reach 56 million arrivals in 2016, up from its target of 35 million in 2012.

He said that the government has spent the largest in tourism as a percentage of the (GDP) Gross Domestic Product compared to the previous administrations. (Manny Galvez)