Kalinga tourism officers conduct familiarization tour, site assessment in Buscalan, Tinglayan

Tinglayan, Kalinga – Being the face of tourism of Tinglayan, Buscalan served as one of the venues of a familiarization tour and rapid site assessment conducted by tourism officers across the province on Wednesday, September 25.

The conduct of said activity is an avenue for the team to assess existing and potential tourism attractions in Kalinga.

In the case of Tinglayan, the team had a first-hand experience on the offerings of the village, home to the country’s most popular “mambabatok”, Apo Whang-od.

The event is part of the preparation of the province for the Department of Tourism's (DOT) Philippines Experience Program - a program which seeks to spotlight lesser-known destinations in the country through a heritage, culture, gastronomy, and arts caravan.

In an interview, Larae Lactao of the Municipal Tourism Office of Tinglayan relayed that the tour is held annually. She recounted that the same event was conducted in Balbalan in 2022 and in Tabuk City in 2023 through the ‘Art in Park’. Tanudan and Pasil shall be hosting the same event next year.

When asked why Buscalan was chosen, she explained that the village has long been the face of tourism in town.

“Buscalan kasi ang face of tourism ng Tinglayan kaya yun ang pinuntahan and masyado ng time consuming to visit other place kasi siksik into a 3-day tour siya. And on our end naman, other barangays are not yet officially open for tourism,” she stated.

Meantime, prior to the conduct of the tour and site assessment, the team of tourism officers led by Tourism Operations Officer I Shawn Michael Barila paid a courtesy call to Mayor Sacrament Gumilab.

Gumilab, in a statement, committed the local government’s support to the programs and activities of the tourism office which he know is of benefit to their hometown, particularly in the promotion of its rich cultural heritage and natural attraction.