LAOAG — Hotels in this booming city are on a race to attract more tourists who flock to the sand dunes to the power-generating windmills now scattered in the towns of Bangui, Burgos and Pasuquin.
“Many tourists here go to these places. These are the best offers we got. No other place in this country has these attractions,” Elizabeth Tapiceria, front office manager of Plaza del Norte hotel, one of the top first class hotels in this city, told The Daily Tribune.
Majority of tourists in this city, the capital of Ilocos Norte, are Japanese, Koreans and Europeans who spend hundreds of dollars just to try sand dunes adventure in the two barangays of Laoag — Suba and La Paz.
Three other hotels in Laoag, Pamulinawen, Fort Ilocandia and Suva, are scrambling for tourists that are becoming frequent in the city beginning the last few years.
On top of the falls and ecopark, the dunes attract more tourists.
Participants of a recent ride and drive program sponsored by a leading car-pickup firm have seen the potential of the sand dunes as major income generator.
Shelamee Valenzuela, the hotels’ sales manager, said their city is not just about sand dunes as it has six waterfalls and an ecopark.
Although difficult to reach due to rough terrains, the most fascinating among these six ecoparks is found in Karingking and Piddig.
The stones around the falls in Karingking are white, thus they shine when seen by those who drift in the water, according to a hotel staff of Plaza del Norte.
The ecopark, located at Nueva Era, was used to be a mountainous are but was later transformed into a park where anyone can enjoy the nature.
Cool breeze from the West Philippine Sea is felt in the area.
Valenzuela said the potential of the tourist attractions in their locality can reach greater heights if their governor, Imee Marcos, will be given more time and resources to promote these places.
“Our governor is very eager to promote our city.
We have plenty to offer to tourists. The Philippines is not just about Boracay. We have more than beaches,” she said.
Pagudpud, the northernmost municipality of Ilocos Norte, is dubbed the Boracay of the north because of the pristine beaches.
The sand dunes of Laoag first gained prominence in the early 80s when an epic movie, Panday, was shot in the area.
Desert safari, which can also be done at the sand dunes, is a major income generator in Dubai.
“What Dubai can do, we can also have here,” Tapiceria said.
A four-person team who will try driving at the sand dunes are charged P2,500 per trip.
“If we will have more of that, more people will have jobs and the potential of our place will be realized,” she said.
