By Joey Gabieta
TACLOBAN CITY—The provincial government of Northern Samar has lined up several tourism-related activities in a bid to revive its tourism industry that has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Allen Berbon, provincial information officer, said reviving the province’s tourism industry was one of the priorities of the provincial government under Gov. Edwin Ongchuan.
The governor, he said, has approved the holding of several tourism-related activities to attract tourists and help the economy of the province.
“It is a top priority along with economic development,” Berbon added.
Two-year hiatus
He said among the activities lined up in the province are the skimboarding and triathlon competitions, the return of the province-wide Ibabao Festival and the summer festival slated in April of this year.
Last month, the province’s 24 towns held festivals in honor of the Sto. Niño or the Holy Child Jesus, similar to the world-famous Sinulog Festival of Cebu.
Berbon said all local governments in the province were also gearing towards reviving their own tourism industries, describing their chief executives as “tourism-friendly mayors.”
He said the revival of tourism-related activities and festivals will help “rekindle the tourism industry of the province.”
Berbon said people in the province were also happy that the festivals in their respective areas would resume after a two-year hiatus caused by pandemic-related restrictions.
“We are happy that we’re able to celebrate our culture and faith through these festivals again,” he said.
Data of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Eastern Visayas showed that Northern Samar attracted 110,987 local and foreign tourists in 2019. However, when the pandemic struck in 2020, the province, which is known for its white sand beaches and rock formations, was visited by just 14,389 tourists.