Author: pixelseepangadmin

Select staff from the Pangasinan Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO) conducted a dry-run of the pangasinan.tarana.ph OVRS and visited borders at Alaminos City, Anda, Bolinao, Burgos, Dasol, San Fabian, and Manaoag last February 22. These LGUs currently have destinations open to tourists from Region 1 provinces and are among the 14 major borders of Pangasinan.

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            The PTCAO team was also able to have a courtesy call with Mayor Joganie Rarang and tourism officer Mr. Darryl Celeste during their visit in Anda. Tourism Officers Mr. Miguel Sison (Alaminos City), Ms. Marlene Rayat representing Ms. Mary De Guzman (Bolinao), Mr. Brendon Natividad (Manaoag), and Mr. Jonathan Gacosta (San Fabian) also met with the PTCAO team and participated in the dry-run.

The pangasinan.tarana.ph OVRS dry-run is a vital procedure relative to the province’s preparations to safely and responsibly reopen tourism amidst the pandemic. The management of the pangasinan.tarana.ph OVRS will greatly assist tourism stakeholders in monitoring the number of their guests as well as to ensure that health and safety protocols are followed through in accordance with the IATF guidelines. In addition to being convenient, contactless transactions aim to limit the possible transmission of the virus and to provide a sense of security to tourists during their travels.

/MCDG

The orientation and training of the panagsinan.tarana.ph, Pangasinan’s Online Visitors Registration System (OVRS), was cascaded to the staff of the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO) earlier today, February 19. The PTCAO staff was divided into two batches, with one batch at the Bengson-Yuson House and the rest staying in the Malong Building. This initiative is vitally important in preparing for the reopening of tourism in Pangasinan as this ensures that all concerned constituents are aware of the fundamental roles, procedures and functions of the system in order to operate it seamlessly. Ms. Monika Labaupa and Mr. Kenneth Soriano of the PTCAO Tourism Services and Promotions Division (TSPD) alongside Ms. Crizzia Bañez of the PTCAO Technical Support and Services Division (TSSD) led the orientation and training.

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Prior orientations and trainings for the management of the pangasinan.tarana.ph were hosted last February 17 to 18 at the OPAG Satellite Office in Alaminos City and at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen respectively. Tourism stakeholders who participated in these meetings were staff from the LGUs of Alaminos City, Anda, Bolinao, Burgos, Dasol, Manaoag, and San Fabian, as well as their respective PNP personnel. Representatives from the Pangasinan Tour Operators and Travel Agencies Association (PTOTAA) also joined the orientation and training as they also hold a major role in the operation of the OVRS.

/MCDG

The Pangasinan Tourism Recovery Committee (PTRC), the body that reviews and monitors policies, protocols and guidelines and recommends appropriate measures and programs to ensure a safe and responsible tourism in Pangasinan, convened via Zoom yesterday, February 18. Following the roll-out of the pangasinan.tarana.ph OVRS, the PTRC proceeded to strategize and plan for the next phase of the tourism reopening in Pangasinan and to discuss the further enhancement of the Provincial Ordinance 0254-2020, otherwise known as, “An Ordinance Prescribing Specific Guidelines for the Reopening of Tourism in the Province of Pangasinan Amid COVID-19 Pandemic”. The meeting focused on concerns such as practicable border management and equipment, clarification on specific health and travel requirements, amendments for the P.O. 0254-2020, and necessary budgetary stipulations for the effective and safe revival of the tourism industry in the province.

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The PTRC is chaired by First District Provincial Board Member and Committee Chairman for Tourism, Culture and Arts Hon. Orange Humilde-Versoza and co-chaired by Provincial Administrator Atty. Nimrod Camba, with Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Maria Luisa Elduayan as vice chairman and Department of Tourism Region 1 Director Joseph Francisco “Jeff” Ortega as a consultant. The PTRC is comprised of executive chiefs from offices of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan as well as presidents of different tourism associations of the province.

/MCDG

Staff from the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO) joined the weekly coastal clean-up drive alongside the staff from the Capitol Resort Hotel, Provincial Engineering Office (PEO), Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), and the Provincial Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Office (PHUDCO) today, February 18.

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The weekly coastal clean-up drive by provincial government employees is an activity relative to the environmental advocacy of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan since the beginning of Governor Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III’s administration. Although it was discontinued during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the activity is now being practiced with health and safety protocols in place and as prescribed in the IATF guidelines. This is to prevent the possible transmission of the virus while simultaneously giving back to Mother Nature once again.

/MCDG

Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Maria Luisa A. Elduayan, along with Ms. Monika Labaupa, Ms. Kristin Infante, Mr. Kenneth Soriano of the PTCAO Tourism Services and Promotions Division (TSPD) and Ms. Crizza Bañez of the PTCAO Technical Support and Services Division (TSSD), hosted an orientation and training for the management of Pangasinan’s Online Visitors Registration System (OVRS) from February 17 to 18 at the OPAG Satellite Office in Alaminos City and at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen respectively. The participants who attended these meetings were staff assigned to oversee the OVRS from the LGUs of Alaminos City, Anda, Bolinao, Burgos, Dasol, Manaoag, and San Fabian, their respective PNP personnel, and representatives from the Pangasinan Tour Operators and Travel Agencies Association (PTOTAA).

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The Pangasinan OVRS has been officially branded as pangasinan.tarana.ph. It is a system that was provided by the Department of Tourism Region 1 and is a component of the collective OVRS for Region 1 provinces–Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union. Similar to the utilization of Baguio City’s Visitor Information & Travel Assistance (VISITA) system, tourists (both local residents and domestic travelers) who wish to visit Pangasinan must register at the pangasinan.tarana.ph. This is to ensure consistent and uniform management of the province’s visitors and health monitoring in the form of convenient contact tracing.

/MCDG

Department of Tourism Region 1 Director Joseph Francisco “Jeff” Ortega joined Pangasinan Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Maria Luisa A. Elduayan, PTCAO Technical Support and Services Division (TSSD) staff Mr. Edward Muego and Mr. G. R. Cañas and San Fabian tourism officer Mr. Jonathan Gacosta at the Pap’s Restaurant and Café pitstop to discuss the latest projects and developments contributed by the Department of Tourism Region 1 in support of new tourism activities in Pangasinan last February 16. Director Jeff Ortega and the PTCAO team also had a courtesy call with Mayor Constante Agbayani of LGU San Fabian.

The DOT-R1 Office has allocated funds for the research and development of Pangasinan’s Tourism Heritage Tour as well as for the development of tourism circuits in eastern, central and western Pangasinan, with the latter focusing on the establishment of a new tourism product in the form of Bike Tourism.

While the town is known for its beach, San Fabian is also a destination favored by bikers due to its bike trails located along the 3 Bundok Bike Trail and the Bikers’ Den & Highlands Café in the Sky. The town has been identified as a priority destination for the development of Pangasinan’s Bike Tourism and because it is also one of Pangasinan’s 14 major borders, currently being developed in preparation for the reopening of tourism in Pangasinan.

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The Provincial Government of Pangasinan, through its Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, designed and conducted the Community Guiding Webinar last November 25 to December 12, 2020 to provide aspiring tour guides with the basic knowledge, skills and attitude needed for a professional tour guide that will enable them to provide efficient, quality, satisfactory, as well as safe tour guiding services for visitors in the new normal setting. This endeavor is sponsored by the Department of Tourism Region 1.

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While the first batch of trainees were predominantly from Alaminos City and Bolinao, the second batch of trainees are from Agno, Alaminos City, Basista, and Lingayen. Similar to the first batch of trainees, the participants were displaced tourism workers, community-based/people’s organizations, employees of DOT-accredited accommodation establishments and other tourism-related establishments (TREs), and travel and tour agencies. Online quizzes were conducted via Google Forms while individual assignments were recorded on video and submitted to the PTCAO project staff for review and grading. The mock tour was held from February 15 to 16 at identified destinations in Lingayen such as the Municipal Hall, the Municipal Plaza, the Epiphany of Our Lord Parish Church, outside the Capitol Building, the Veterans’ Park, Lingayen Beachfront, and the Limahong Center. A total of 50 participants took part in this project.

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Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Maria Luisa A. Elduayan, along with PTCAO Technical Support and Services Division (TSSD) supervisor Mr. Edward Muego and TSSD staff Mr. G. R. Cañas, resumed site inspection in San Fabian last February 16.

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In addition to monitoring health and safety practices in tourist attractions and facilities and the establishment of a database of various emerging and existing tourism sites in Pangasinan, the activity was also to assess San Fabian’s border and to identify pitstops for fixed travel routes. Pitstops that were inspected were Pap’s Restaurant and Café, Cholly’s Grill and Seafood Restaurant and Matthew’s Noodle House. Pangasinan has a total of 20 borders and San Fabian is one of the province’s 14 major borders.

The previous inspection conducted by the PTCAO and the Department of Tourism Region 1 was an overall survey of identified tourist destinations in Pangasinan’s District 4 which consists of Dagupan City, Manaoag, Mangaldan, San Fabian, and San Jacinto last February 11 to 12.

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In line with the monitoring of health and safety practices in tourist attractions and facilities and the establishment of a database of various emerging and existing tourism sites in Pangasinan, Mr. G. R. Cañas of the PTCAO Technical Support and Services Division (TSSD) and PTCAO photographer Mr. Patrick Panlilio accompanied Ms. Loryna Fonacier, Mr. Edilberto Littaua, Jr., Ms. Divina Dulay, Ms. Arlene Mercado, and Mr. Menard Quiñones of the Department of Tourism Region 1 to inspect identified tourist destinations in Dagupan City, Manaoag, Mangaldan, San Fabian, and San Jacinto last February 11 to 12.

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Destinations that were surveyed were the Tondaligan Blue Beach Baywalk in Dagupan City, the Sampaguita Farm in Manaoag, the Bikers’ Den and the Hobbit Farmville in San Fabian, among many others. This activity is also imperative in developing new product offerings directed toward the creation of new tourism circuits in Pangasinan by way of gathering useful references through site immersions.

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Pangasinan Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Maria Luisa A. Elduayan, along with select staff from the PTCAO Tourism Services and Promotions Division (TSPD), hosted a virtual meeting via Zoom with members of the Pangasinan Tourism Officers Association (PTOA) at the Bengson-Yuson House in Lingayen, Pangasinan last February 11.

The meeting focused on updates and information dissemination regarding the progress and projects being made toward a safe recovery and reopening of tourism in Pangasinan. Likewise, the PTOA members shared updates from their respective towns and cities as well as their tourist destinations and industries. Close and frequent coordination with tourism stakeholders is fundamental in the continuous exchange of information necessary for a seamless and secure conduct of tourism activities amidst the pandemic.

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PTCAO Head, Ms. Maria Luisa A. Elduayan, was presented with a Plaque of Appreciation by the Pangasinan Tour Operators and Travel Agencies Association (PTOTAA), led by its president, Ms. Maria Imelda P. Favi, during their General Membership Meeting held in Alaminos City, yesterday, February 4, 2021. The association was grateful for PTCAO’s efforts in helping them recover and rise as one during this pandemic. Both Ms. Favi and Ms. Elduayan, in their respective messages, highlighted the importance of cooperation and reconnection in tourism recovery.

Pangasinan travel and tour agencies are the province’s tourism industry partner in creating tour packages and promoting the province as a tourism product.

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Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Maria Luisa A. Elduayan, along with staff from the PTCAO Tourism Services and Promotions Division, awarded certificates to 17 participants who underwent community tour guiding training through the Community Guiding Webinar and Mock Tour that was sponsored by the Department of Tourism Region 1, held last November 25 to December 12, 2020. The awarding took place at the Empress Hotel in Alaminos City.

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