Opening of Sagada tourism faces issues, delay expected

Sagada, Mt. Province – Although the dry run to review the mechanisms that would be instituted for the reopening of Sagada tourism industry was a success, the Local Government Unit (LGU) still found several issues needed to be addressed prior to the reopening’s approval.

Sagada LGU, in an interview, informed that the tourism office will be providing a report on a later date which will highlight the discussions made during the evaluation proper, conducted on August 28.

The evaluation covers the use of an online registration system to minimize entry of guests to only 100 tourists a day, accommodation, validation of registered guests, and compliance to requirements imposed.

Also checked is the capability of stakeholders for guest management and experiences to new tour packages that include the agricultural sector in the promotion of the locality’s farm tourism.

The dry run was conducted from August 24 to 28, 2021, with 30 personnel from the Department of Tourism, Local Government Units, and stakeholders from the tourism industry in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The result of the dry run would be providing the baseline data and relevant feedback needed to improve the LGUs preparations. This will also gauge the readiness of the municipality prior to the reopening of the tourism amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

As recalled, Sagada before the pandemic had been receiving large numbers of local and foreign travelers visiting the locality’s popular attractions to include mountain valleys, rice fields, burial and limestone caves, waterfalls, and cliffs that come with a sea of clouds.

The town shut its door to tourists on February 13 last year as a measure against COVID-19, depriving the town of earning around P200 million through its tourism sector.

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