Alaminos City Mayor Arth Celeste (Photo from his Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism awarded stunning Alaminos City in Pangasinan as 2019’s most tourism-oriented local government unit in the Philippines.
The key to stimulating tourism in the city — according to 23-year-old Mayor Arth Celeste — is quite simple: Give tourists — both Filipinos and foreigners — a destination they can build new memories in.
“I want them to go home thinking of and excited for their next visit back,” Celeste says. “The experience should be both satisfying and enjoyable.”
Aside from the famous Hundred Islands, Alaminos offers other attractions such as Pilgrimage Island where a statue of Christ the Redeemer attracts what Celeste refers to as “faith tourists.”
“We’re currently studying the possibilities of new activities such as cave exploring and scuba diving,” the young mayor adds. “Hundred Islands is a beautiful park on its own, but what it lacks is social media presence and that is what I aim to focus on as LCE of the City. Nowadays you cannot afford not to have a social media presence.”
Hundred Islands (Photo from the Facebook account of Mayor Arth Celeste)
The statue of Christ the Redeemer on Pilgrimage Island (Photo from the Facebook account of Mayor Arth Celeste)
And it should not stop there, he says. If there is one other thing that should not be compromised it is service.
“Efficient service is at the core of everything we do,” he says. “We always do our best to provide the highest quality services for our tourists here in Alaminos. As they usually do when it comes to the feel and aesthetic of our city, we also want everyone to remember the kind of service we gave them.”
The millennial politician fully intends to maintain the status awarded by the DoT.
“We always think of its sustainability,” Celeste says. “Hundred Islands is more than enough to enjoy your stay in Alaminos, but if you want to be with nature, there’s always Bued Mangrove Park. We also have Bolo Beach, a beach away from the mainland that tourists can also visit and enjoy.”
Bolo Beach (Photo from the Facebook account of Mayor Arth Celeste)
Celeste’s tourism agenda for Alaminos will likely have a large impact on the city’s economy.
Alaminos is earning close to P50 million a year for just the entrance fee of the island — a substantial jump from P6 million back in 2013 when the islands weren’t developed.
The number of tourists for 2019 is estimated at 500,000 — 350,000 tourists more than 2013. This big influx has boosted the livelihood of Alaminos’s boatmen. Local hotels, too, have increased their sales.
The core of his vision for Alaminos is clear and focused: Take care of the islands.
“Taking care of the islands is our top priority,” Celeste says. “Our children and their children will still get to see the beauty of the Hundred Islands and that makes me very happy.”
/atm