BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Tourism reported that 1.6 million tourists visited the Cordillera region in 2023, up 31.55 percent compared to 2022 with 1.2 million.

TOURISM stakeholders in the Cordillera region attend the Cordillera Regional Tourism Investment Forum 2024 in Baguio City. (DOT-Cordillera FB)
This was learned in the two-day Cordillera Regional Tourism Investment Forum 2024 conducted by the DOT-Cordillera at the Cordillera Convention Center at the Baguio Country Club here from April 2 to 3.
DOT-Cordillera Regional Director Jovi Ganongan said the event sought to further stimulate tourism in the region.
She said the forum tackled the development of tourist destinations, especially accommodation, accessible road, communication, and food, that would enhance tourist arrivals in the region.
With the theme "Elevating Opportunities: Sustainable Investments in Mountain Tourism," the first day of the forum was attended by provincial and local government units and discussed tourism promotion with the department.
"This forum is very important for tourism in the Cordillera, in my travel around the region in many years, we really see that development is concentrated in urban areas, like in Baguio City. We are happy that there is also investment growth in other areas, like Tabuk City," said Ganongan.
Ganongan also said it is necessary to expand development to other areas in the Cordillera. “Maybe to invest in other types of development within Baguio City, Benguet, and other areas, we tried to redirect the development prospect in a way. Our vision is really sustainable tourism development,” he said.
She said that tourism in the region is slowly picking up, especially in this city, a favorite destination this “summer” in the country.
In 2019, Cordillera had 2,015,400 tourist arrivals which decreased to 335,028 during the pandemic in 2020 and slightly increased to 412,093 the next year.