LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte – The Ilocos Norte Tourism Office has reported that 325,000 tourists visited the province during the Holy Week. Ilocos Norte Provincial Tourism Officer Ian Raquel said this was 43.53 percent more than 2022 and 81.28 percent higher compared to 2019. The top most visited tourist destinations this Holy Week in the province were the San Agustin Church in Paoay, Madongan Dam in Dingras, the Bangui Windmills, Karpurpurawan Rock Formation in Burgos, Saint John the Baptist Church in Badoc, Malacañang of the North in Paoay, the La Milagrosa Cove and Chapel, also in Badoc, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, the Blue Lagoon Resort in Pagudpud, and Paoay Sand Dunes. Peak day was April 7 or Good Friday with more than 80,000 tourists. Anticipating the influx of tourists in the province during the Holy Week, Raquel said that his office deployed tourist ambassadors who assisted visitors in different destinations. The provincial government through the Metro Ilocos Norte Council (MINC) and INTO in partnership with Florida Bus Inc. launched a free shuttle service throughout the Holy Week to ensure comfortable transportation for visitors from the Laoag City International Airport to their accommodations. Big hotels and transient houses were at full capacity, translating into a record-breaking income for many local businesses, with the turnout of tourists. Raquel thanked and congratulated local government units and their partners for the successful tirunout of tourists. Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc said that he would sustain new programs and partnerships that would enable Ilocos Norte to be among the premier tourist destinations in the country.