LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN — Gov. Ramon Guico III wants the province as “destination of choice” with the Tourism-Related Attraction project he eyes in partnership with several government agencies and an entity.
Guico’s vision is to establish a park, with a lagoon, with boardwalk and native trees in a yet to be identified location.
The Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO) is eyeing a partnership with the Provincial Engineering Office, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and SMM Construction Corporation for the said project, said PTCAO head Maria Luisa A. Elduayan.
She said that a team composed of representatives from said offices will identify the location soon.
The proposed location, however, was used for the traditional venue for the annual Christmas and New Year events of the provincial government.
The PTCAO chief recommended for the postponement of the construction until the early part of this year.
With the establishment of the TRA project and the construction of the Reflective Pool and Interactive Fountain, the Capitol Complex will soon become a site of weekend family rendezvous, a meet-up place for friends, regular venue for photo and video shoots, and the destination of choice among local and international visitors.
“We intensified our efforts to make Pangasinan as the province of choice for local tourists and foreign visitors,” the governor earlier said .
He added that the provincial government is now an aggressive catalyst to permeate every nook and corner of the province to strengthen the tourism industry.
It can be recalled that the Pangasinan Banaan Provincial Museum which is housed at the historic Casa Real has penetrated not just the local scene but the global market since its inauguration on September 8, 2023 with some 9,178 registered visitors from the period September 11, 2023 to December 29 that year. A total of 8,320 visitors, on the other hand, was served by the museum for the entire year of 2024.
Aside from these projects, the PTCAO chief reported that the expressed full support for numerous tourism endeavors such as enhancement and development of farm tourism and products which can be traced back several years ago when local farmers willingly opened their farms for travelers seeking authentic rural experience.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia- Frasco during a visit here said: “I am in full appreciation of the journey that Pangasinan has taken, that has left an imprint in history…Under the leadership of our visionary governor, Pangasinan’s direction is forward, always forward, and we’re here to manifest our full support for your plans for your province.”
Under the Guico administration, a conference among tourism stakeholders and the province which was dubbed ‘Tongtongan” was conducted.
It’s emphasis was for community involvement and responsible tourism. conference. It was coined from the Pangasinan word “tongtongan” which means to engage in conversation, aimed to bring together the key players in the province’s tourism industry mainly to plan, create and harmonize strategies and initiatives that will collectively contribute to the overall growth of the tourism sector in the province.
These strategies, Elduayan said, will further enhance and promote long-term success and sustainability not only for the province but for the region as well.
(Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO)
