Tourism in La Union continues to recover from the pandemic as more than 550,000 tourists visited the province in 2023.
SURFERS in Barangay Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
The provincial government said 550,359 tourists visited La Union last year, an 11 percent increase from the 494,387 in 2022.
Gov. Raphaelle Veronica "Rafy" Ortega-David cited the achievement.
"This love month, our hearts are warmed with the wonderful news that tourism in La Union continues to rise, after the slump from the pandemic," David said.
The number – 6,450 international and 543,909 domestic tourists – was based on overnight visitors gathered from various La Union tourist accommodation establishments as reported by the local tourism office to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
"This data does not include the number of day visitors who come to our province for a quick getaway given our proximity to key cities in the country," said David.
The tourist influx generated a 16 percent increase in tourism revenue, with over P1 billion in 2023 from P897 million 2022.
The month of April had the highest number of visitors with 68,567.
Urbiztondo Beach in San Juan remained as the top tourist destination in La Union in 2023, with 257,559 day visitors. It was followed by Namacpacan Church in Luna with 172,758 and Macho Temple in the City of San Fernando with 165,436.
Other top destinations were Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel, Bauang grape farms, mangrove forest, and beaches, Baluarte Watch Tower, Bahay na Bato, and Bato de Luna in Luna, Immuki Island in Balaoan, Agoo Ecopark, churches and pilgrimage sites, and privately owned destinations such Halo-Halo de Iloko, Pugo Adventure, and Kultura Splashwave.
The provincial tourism office said visitors were highly satisfied with their experience in La Union, with 57 percent of them returning to visit. "This data was generated through our La Union Wonders and Adventure, Visitor Experience Survey (LU WAVES), which is conducted to determine our tourists' behavior and purchase preferences and habits," David said.
Most local tourists were from Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and the nearby Cordillera Administrative Region, the survey said.
"We thank our visitors for their love and support for the province of La Union. We are truly delighted and grateful for the continuous growth and development in our tourism sector. This will certainly bring more opportunities to our local businesses and strengthen our local economy as we gear towards positioning La Union to be the heart of agri-tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025," Ortega said.
La Union celebrates its 174th foundation anniversary on March 2. “This March 2, we shall stage once again various crowd-drawing activities, where both locals and tourists can enjoy," said David.