A CALESA (horse-drawn carriage) passes through the cobblestone-covered Calle Crisologo in the heritage city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur province, as the sun rises. RICHARD BALONGLONG
MANILA, Philippines — Ilocos Sur will reopen its doors to more tourists from Luzon starting November 15 “once all systems and health and safety measures are in place,” the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Sunday.
In a statement, the DOT welcomed the decision of Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Singson to reopen the province amid the clamor from tourists coming from Metro Manila.
The DOT also lauded the initiative of the local government of Ilocos Sur “to give back jobs to the tourism workforce from the kutcheros or carriage drivers to the waiters, the souvenir shops, to the tour guides through the slow but sure reopening of the province.”
Ilocos Sur first welcomed back tourists through a travel corridor linking the province with Baguio City, La Union, Pangasinan, and Ilocos Norte.
To prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, the local governments in the said provinces only allowed a limited number of tourists in their jurisdictions.
Some of the tourist destinations in Ilocos Sur are the Vigan Heritage Village and Calle Crisologo, Plaza Salcedo Dancing Fountain, Bantay Bell Tower, Santa Maria Church, and Plaza Burgos.