LINGAYEN—Pangasinan won more Pearl Awards for its Tourism Month celebration (first runner-up, best provincial tourism month celebration) and Pistay Dayat, dubbed as Pangasinan’s mother of all local festivals (second runner-up, best provincial tourism event/festival). of the Philippines Awards
Gov. Amado Espino, III bared during his first 100 days report which he delivered at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) session hall on October 10 that the province of Pangasinan has maintained its status as a perennial top contender for best tourism practices given by the Department of Tourism and the Association of Tourism Officers’ in the Philippines.
At the 17th ATOP National Convention held in Clark, Pampanga on October 6, Espino said his predecessor, former Pangasinan governor and now 5th District Rep. Amado Espino, Jr. helped establish the Center for Pangasinen Studies, which was jointly initiated by the provincial government and the University of the Philippines.
Later on, a consortium of five higher education institutions in the province joined the CPS to research, preserve and enrich the province’s cultural heritage and promote tourism to increase economic opportunities for Pangasinenses.
Launching the CPS lecture series, former UP Vice President for Public Affairs and now Higher Education Commissioner Prospero de Vera, III, a Pangasinense who hails from Tayug town, delivered the inaugural lecture which focused on “The Challenges and Opportunities for a Federal Philippines.”
The provincial chief executive disclosed that CPS will soon launch cultural mapping activities in three pilot municipalities that will be funded and guided by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
The provincial government through the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office on September 29 sponsored the 1st Pangasinan Tourism Youth Conference and hosted the 3rd Regional Tourism Convention in partnership with Alaminos City government.
More tourism and industry immersion tours are now offered in Pangasinan. It was learned that a Lingayen-based travel company has already started accommodating tour packages including a Lingayen heritage tour, a Pangasinan aquaculture and culinary tour, a Bolinao escapade tour and a Hundred Islands’ tour.
In cognizance with the tourism promotions master plan, Espino also launched the Friday coastal clean-up drive by Capitol employees clustered in four teams who clean designated areas on the Lingayen beach.
Other coastal areas in Pangasinan shall be visited by clustered teams from the provincial government for the series of weekly coastal clean-up.