Conventions, gov’t push boost Albay tourism

A TOURIST cooks eggs in a hot spring in Manito town in Albay with the province’s most famous landmark, Mayon Volcano, in the background. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

LEGAZPI CITY—With several national and international conventions held in this city, the Department of Tourism in Bicol has recorded a significant influx of tourists in Albay province.

Maria Nini Ong Ravanilla, tourism regional director, said around 874,458 tourists visited the province last year, a 66-percent increase compared to tourist arrivals in 2012.

Of this number, 339,445 were foreign tourists, representing a 99-percent increase in foreign visitor arrivals in the province, she said.

The foreign tourists were predominantly Americans and Chinese, Ravanilla said. Tourism promotions,  the holding of different festivals, historical sites like the Cagsawa ruins and the “genuine hospitality of the people” were key factors in the influx of tourists in Bicol, particularly in Albay, Ravanilla added.

With the success of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-United Nations World Tourism Organization  conference held in May in this city and was personally attended by President Aquino, another 23 conventions have been set in Albay between this year and 2015, she said.

Ravanilla was also thankful to the provincial government of Albay and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for improving  Legazpi City Domestic Airport, which resulted in more local flights and even direct international flights from Xiamen, China.